1. By S.E. Hinton

2. S.E. Hinton, or Susan Eloise Hinton, began writing The Outsiders as a short story when she was 15 years old. S.E. HINTON

3. She was advised to use a pen name, S.E. Hinton, because the publisher did not think that people would believe that a girl wrote the novel. S.E. HINTON

4. Hinton began writing the story in response to an act of teenage violence that occurred in her hometown. The setting of the novel, Oklahoma in the 1960’s, is the same setting in which Hinton wrote the book. THE SETTING

5. Considered a coming-of-age novel, The Outsiders examines many social and teenage issues that were prevalent in the 1960’s and are still prevalent today. THEMES

6. In your reader response journal, answer the following questions: 1.What do you think “outsiders” means? What is an outsider? 2.What do you think a “coming-of-age” novel is? 3.What do you think were some of the issues teenagers faced in the 1960s? 4.Do you think these are issues that teenagers still face today? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

7. Let’s look at a letter S.E. Hinton wrote to her fans and readers. A LETTER FROM S.E. HINTON

8. In your reader response journal, answer the following questions: 1.What kinds of characters do you think you will encounter while reading The Outsiders. 2.What kind of themes do you think you will encounter while reading The Outsiders. 3.What do you think the author wants you to take away from this novel? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS