First time reading The Outsiders and I‘m conflicted. At times, the fact that Hinton was 14 (or 15 depending on your sources) when she wrote the original draft works to its advantage.
At other times, Hinton‘s lack of experience is evident and it pulled me from the story in a big way.
Still, I liked it for the most part. I do question, though, that if it hadn‘t basically made the YA genre would it be as pertinent and beloved today?