You finished The Outsiders and want more, so you search for books like the outsiders. Pick by what hooked you: loyalty, class or voice. S.E. Hinton’s own novels suit loyalty, harder-edged teen fiction suits class, and verse suits voice.
Readers who also write may find the wider list of books every writer should read useful alongside this one.
Why The Outsiders lasts
The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel set in 1960s Oklahoma. It follows two feuding high school gangs, the working-class Greasers and the rich-kid Socs, according to Fable’s reading guide. The same guide says the book captures class struggles, family challenges and emotional friendships in a way young adults still find relevant. Class conflict and found family are the two engines of the story, and most good follow-ups borrow at least one of them.
The author’s story matters to its reputation too. Hinton started writing it at 15 and saw it published at 18. School Library Journal calls it a seminal work that ushered in a golden age of young adult literature, and the same piece recommends nine works that reflect its themes of friendship, class tension and adolescence.
Those themes give you three handles for choosing: loyalty (who stands with whom), class (who has money and who does not) and voice (how the story sounds on the page). A book rarely matches all three, which is why “similar” needs a second look.
Misunderstandings about “similar” books
A shared shelf label does not make two books alike. The contrast below shows how far apart realistic teen novels can sit, even when each is a fair recommendation for a fan of The Outsiders.
| Common assumption | What the book actually does | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| Any coming-of-age novel will do | Forever… by Judy Blume focuses on a first serious romantic relationship and sexual awakening rather than gang conflict or class rivalry. | Choose it for a different kind of growing up, not as a stand-in for The Outsiders. |
| A close match will feel the same | The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier debuted in 1974 and shares teenage tribalism and peer intimidation, but carries a much darker, cynical tone. | Pick it when you want the social pressure with a bleaker mood than Hinton’s. |
| The pressure must come from rival peers | The Pigman by Paul Zindel is a realistic YA novel about troubled teens who feel alienated from the adults around them. | Pick it when the isolation, rather than the fighting, is what stayed with you. |
Comparisons here follow Libromatch’s side-by-side analysis of The Outsiders.
- Similar does not mean identical. Decide whether loyalty, class or voice mattered most, then accept that the rest may shift.
- Same author does not mean same story. Hinton’s other novels revisit her territory from different angles, as the loyalty picks below show.
- Darker is not automatically better. Some matches raise the stakes and lower the warmth, so pick tone on purpose.
- Older does not mean safer. A recent title can be the nearer match when voice is your priority.
Picks for loyalty and found family
If the bond between the Greasers is what you loved, start with Hinton herself and then widen to other stories where friends or siblings are the main source of stability.
That Was Then, This Is Now by S.E. Hinton
This novel follows best friends Mark Jennings and Bryon Douglas, as Fable describes it, and explores the tension between them as they steadily grow apart. It also includes a Ponyboy cameo. It suits readers who want to see loyalty tested rather than simply celebrated.
Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton
Early Bird Books describes it as Hinton taking on another coming of age in a tale of two brothers. Choose it if the sibling bond between Ponyboy and his brothers was your favourite part.
Tex by S.E. Hinton
Tex is also set in Oklahoma. Tex and his older brother Mason have been living on their own since their father left for the rodeo, per Fable. It is a good fit when self-reliance and family pressure matter more to you than gang rivalry.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Charlie is sensitive and introverted, yet he still develops a deep friendship with two seniors, according to the same Fable guide. This is the clearest found-family pick on the list for readers who want a quieter, more sensitive narrator than the Greasers’ world offers.
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
After meeting on the school bus, Eleanor Douglas and Park Sheridan bond over a mutual love of music and comics, and the story is set in the 1980s, as Fable notes. It suits readers who loved the misfit friendship more than the violence.
Picks for class tension and street stakes
If the Greasers-versus-Socs divide gripped you, look for books where peers, money or the law shape what a teenager can safely do.
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
Libromatch calls it, like The Outsiders, a foundational realistic YA novel, and notes that it quickly became a bestseller after its 1974 debut. It explores teenage tribalism, peer intimidation and emotional isolation. It suits older or more resilient readers who want the social stakes at full strength.
We Were Here by Matt de la Peña
The journey runs from the streets of Stockton to the beaches of Venice and on to the Mexican border. Both this book and The Outsiders centre on disenfranchised, street-smart young men entangled with the juvenile justice system, and here an unexpected brotherhood forms on the run, according to Libromatch. Choose it for the class edge with a road-trip structure.
Picks for voice and pace
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Told in short, fierce staccato verse, it unfolds over about 60 seconds in an elevator, as Libromatch describes it. Both narratives examine the tragic cycle of street violence, rigid codes of masculinity and grief over a brother. It is the best pick for readers who loved how quickly The Outsiders moves, and who are open to a very different form on the page.
Whatever you choose, a few opening pages will tell you whether the narrator’s rhythm works for you, and that matters more than any category tag.
More titles and their trade-offs
- Monster by Walter Dean Myers. After playing a small role in a real-life store robbery, a teenager finds himself on trial for murder, per Fable. Choose it for consequences and the justice system.
- Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. After Melinda Sordino calls the cops on a party, no one at Merryweather High School will talk to her. It suits readers drawn to social exile.
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding. The clash between democratic Ralph and dictatorial Jack ends with the boys’ society descending into savagery. Pick it for group power gone wrong.
- To Kill a Mockingbird. Scout Finch grows up in Alabama during the Great Depression. It offers a younger narrator and a historical setting.
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio. Early Bird Books sums up its message as two words: choose kindness. It suits readers who want the warmth without the violence.
Choosing your next coming-of-age read
Work through the decision in this order and you will usually land on a good match within a few minutes.
- Name your handle. Decide whether loyalty, class or voice made The Outsiders stick with you.
- Match it to a section. Loyalty points to Hinton’s other novels, Perks or Eleanor & Park; class points to The Chocolate War or We Were Here; voice points to Long Way Down.
- Test the narrator. Read the opening pages and skim for the kind of scene you enjoyed most before you commit.
- Pair a close match with a stretch. Read one book near Hinton’s style, then one from a new setting or era, so you widen your taste without losing what you liked.
If a long series is your next step, the guide How To Read Sarah J. Maas Books: The Best Reading Orders, Warnings, And Tips (2026 Guide) shows how to plan one. For a very different era and tone, Books Like Pride And Prejudice: 12 Timeless Classics And Fresh Retellings To Read In 2026 lists classics and retellings.
Frequently asked questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Was The Outsiders adapted for film? | Yes. The book inspired a star-studded 1983 Francis Ford Coppola film adaptation, according to Fable. |
| Who is credited with creating young adult fiction? | S.E. Hinton is the author many credit with creating the young adult genre, per Fable, and The Outsiders is widely seen as a foundational YA work. |
| Are these books suitable for every reader? | Not always. Fable notes that many of these stories tackle dark themes such as drug use, violence, sexual assault, racism and class struggles, so check content before handing one to a younger reader. |
