SYNOPSIS: Ponyboy likes to read, watch movies, and hang out with his brothers and friends. But when the rival gang takes misguided revenge on Pony and his friend Johnny, everything changes.

CHARACTER QUALITY: S.E. Hinton writes characters very well. I love the dynamics that the characters have with each other, especially the Curtis brothers. You can easily believe that the characters might be real people. None of them are perfect, far from, in fact, but they really love and take care of each other, which is my favorite things in a book.

PLOT: The plot was very well written and fast paced. Pony gets jumped in the first chapter, and it’s off! S.E. Hinton really managed to have suspenseful moments mixed in with meaningful ones. In this one book, you get to experience life as a greaser, a hero, a brother, and a friend.

APPROPRIATENESS: 2