The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel by S. E. Hinton, first published in 1967 by Viking Press. Hinton was 15 when she started writing the novel; however, she did most of the work when she was 16 and a junior in high school. Hinton was 18 when the book was published.

How old was the author when The Outsiders was published?

Her first book, The Outsiders, was published when Hinton was 19, in 1967 (meaning the book turns 50 this year). Hinton had begun writing the book at the age of 15, and says that one of the reasons she wrote the book was that she was dissatisfied with the way teenagers were portrayed at the time.

Why is The Outsiders a banned book?

It was ranked #38 on the American Library Association's Top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–1999. This book has been banned from some schools and libraries because of the portrayal of gang violence, underage smoking and drinking, strong language/slang, and family dysfunction.