Three brothers struggle to stay together after their parents' death, as they search for an identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society in which they find themselves "outsiders."...

When it was first published in 1967, The Outsiders defied convention with its immediate, deeply sympathetic portrayal of Ponyboy and his struggle to find a place for himself in a difficult world. Thirty years later, it speaks to teenagers as powerfully as ever....

Published four years after her phenomenally successful first novel, The Outsiders, That Was Then, This Is Now confirmed S. E. Hinton's place in the canon of young adult literature. Returning to the same working-class landscape, Hinton paints a deeply-felt portrait of best friends Bryon and Mark, as they grow up and grow apart. Puffin is proud to publish this award-winning classic for a new generation of readers. A mature, disciplined novel which excites a response in the readerhard to forget. --The New York Times Brutal, harsh, yet always credibleone of the best. --Publishers Weekly ...

The love between two teenage brothers helps to alleviate the harshness of their usually parentless life as they struggle to grow up....