Do not make your kids read it.Do not make your parents read it.They have none nothing to deserve this discrete to Humanity.Do not make your students read it,no matter how bad they behave.The gang speak aka Moronese will hurt your brain.The characters are horrible and dumb except Johnny and maybe Ponyboy.The faces on the cover are hideous.If you must make your kids/students read something make it "The Hobbit"!

We had to read this in 7th grade health class for some reason. The only reason I can think of is that the teacher liked it, and it was part of his standard curriculum for that reason only. I wouldn't go so far as to trash it like irish just did, but I'd agree with him that it's overrated.

Self indulgent, adolescent trash, with as much narrative and thematic depth as a saucer. A source of fascination for self absorbed adolescents, or older versions thereof without intellectual maturity. A shallow, facile, waste of paper.

For adolescents obsessed with the "drama" in their own lives, this was fantastic, must-read "literature", at least when I was young (and, not to sound sexist, but I was probably better off not knowing S. E. Hinton was a...gasp!...GIRL!!!). Pony-Boy, Soda-Pop, Heebie-Jeebie (actually, I don't think that was one of the characters, but it should have been)...in terms of full-blown, "romantic" tragedy, Shakespeare was a piker in comparison to S.E. Hinton...at least until the adolescent achieved some form of maturity and was able to appreciate good and even great literature, as opposed to silly juvenile (not to mention maudlin) melodrama like this.

the only book i like.

This is a fantastic story written by a very talented, and at the time, very young writer. Regarding the reading list status, I think it's unfortunate that that is a factor for people. Personally, I don't have any hangups about something being on a reading list or not. Also, on a side note, i do think it would be helpful if the reading list were updated more often as there are great contemporary books out there that most children are missing out on.

I hated this book. I was forced to read it twice - once in 7th grade and once in 10th grade. Each time I hated it more. Maybe I'll give it another chance sometime, but I'm not holding my breath.

A very good novel, but by no means a children's story. For me, at least, it was very moving and inspirational when I first read it in seventh grade before seeing the movie. It is a very moving story of a group of kids putting their minds to work and doing something productive with their time rather than contributing to the growing delinquency of society.

I bet I know why this is rated so low on the list - people are sick of being made to read it for school. Folks, please get past the assignment. This bookm is very enjoyable, powerfully written, and at the same time, terrifying. Another rarity that makes young street punks out to be humanity instead of animals that belong in a zoo. Still cannot believe that the author was 16 when she wrote it.

"When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home." for whatever reason, I love the opening line to this excellent book. I remember my shock when I found out that S.E. Hinton was a woman..a 16 year old girl, in fact, when she wrote this classic tale of the struggles between the greasers and the socs. Ponyboy was an unlikely hero who stood for loyalty, determination and sincerity. An educational and heartbreaking tale of this "family" of young men struggling to come out on top. So many life lessons are taught throughout the book. It is a must read for all young adults as well as adults. "Stay Gold."

ummmmm.....Who rated this a children's book? This is not a children's book by any means. Anyway, this book is definitly a very interesting and informal book. This book also has a lot of real life reminders in it, because I compare the gangs in here to some of the gangs they have in America's bigger cities. Overall, a very good book for young adults or mature pre-teens written by an author that has written many masterpieces in his time.

This is not a bad book, but it is not aimed at kids. Should be read by all young adults. Well written and meaningful. Discusses gang activity and friendship. If read with younger kids, be prepared to discuss controversial topics.