Books like The Outsiders

Looking for books like The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (Young Adult Fiction · 750L · grades 7–9)? It’s most often read for its themes of class conflict, friendship, and loyalty. The 10 titlesbelow are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 7–9 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

10 books similar to The Outsiders

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Why each is a match

Shut Up, This Is Seriousgrades 9–12
Shares themes of friendship, family, and identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12).
Walk Two Moons770L
Shares themes of friendship, family, and identity and a close reading level (770L vs 750L).
Long Way Down720L
Shares themes of family and violence, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (720L vs 750L).
The Poet X800L
Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (800L vs 750L).
Everything We Never Hadgrades 7–12
Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–12).
Never Thought I'd End Up Heregrades 7–12
Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–12).
The Crossover750L
Shares themes of family and identity and a close reading level (750L vs 750L).
Pax760L
Shares themes of friendship and loyalty and a close reading level (760L vs 750L).
Ender's Game780L
Shares themes of identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (780L vs 750L).
Save Me a Seat780L
Shares themes of friendship and identity and a close reading level (780L vs 750L).

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