ParentsPick

The Outsiders — Content Guide for Parents

By S. E. HintonPenguin USISBN 9781101642610208 pages
The Outsiders

Found in this book

  • ViolenceCentral
  • Scary contentSupporting
  • Sexual contentBrief

Not found

  • Religion
  • Race & culture
  • Profanity
  • Climate
  • Gender roles
  • Gender & orientation

Content themes

Factual summary of themes present in this book. No opinion — just the facts.

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Summaries and source quotes for every theme.

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Religion

PRESENT

Contains references to prayer and church attendance. A minister character plays a supporting role in two chapters.

About this book

THE ICONIC INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER WITH OVER 25 MILLION COPIES SOLD • The inspiration for the Tony Award–winning Broadway musical! A heroic coming-of-age novel revolving around friendship, belonging, and brotherhood that has touched the hearts of readers for generations. “The Outsiders transformed young-adult fiction.”—The New York Times “This remarkable novel gives a moving, credible view of the outsiders from the inside. . . . A book with a powerful message.”—The Horn Book “Stay gold, Ponyboy.” No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he's got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends—true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up on “greasers” like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect—until the night someone takes things too far. The Outsiders is a dramatic and enduring work of young adult fiction that laid the groundwork for the genre. S. E. Hinton’s classic novel of a boy who finds himself on the outskirts of regular society remains as powerful today as it was the day it was first published.

Frequently asked questions

  • Is The Outsiders appropriate for a 7-year-old?

    The story is built around fights between two teen gangs, including a beating, a fatal stabbing, a large gang fight called a rumble, and a man shot by police. The book includes a burning church with trapped children, a fatal stabbing, deaths, and a vividly described gang fight.

  • Does The Outsiders have violence?

    Found (Central): The story is built around fights between two teen gangs, including a beating, a fatal stabbing, a large gang fight called a rumble, and a man shot by police.

  • Does The Outsiders have scary content?

    Found (Supporting): The book includes a burning church with trapped children, a fatal stabbing, deaths, and a vividly described gang fight.

  • Does The Outsiders have religion?

    Not found in the sources we checked.

  • Does The Outsiders have race & culture?

    Not found in the sources we checked.

  • Does The Outsiders have profanity?

    Not found in the sources we checked.

  • Does The Outsiders have climate?

    Not found in the sources we checked.

  • Does The Outsiders have sexual content?

    Found (Brief): A parents' guide says the book has a few casual references to sex, and nothing more is described.

  • Does The Outsiders have gender roles?

    Not found in the sources we checked.

  • Does The Outsiders have gender & orientation?

    Not found in the sources we checked.

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