What books are similar to The Outsiders?

The 10 closest matches to The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton on ReadingList include Walk Two Moons, Shut Up, This Is Serious, Long Way Down, The Poet X, and The Crossover. Each is scored on shared themes (class conflict, friendship, and loyalty), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 7–9), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Outsiders reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 7–9), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like The Outsiders

If you liked The Outsiders, read Walk Two Moons, Shut Up, This Is Serious, or Long Way Down — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

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 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, 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.

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Why each is a match

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Walk Two Moons770L: Shares themes of friendship, family, and identity, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (770L vs 750L). Amazon →
Shut Up, This Is Seriousgrades 9–12: Shares themes of friendship, family, and identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon →
Long Way Down720L: Shares themes of family and violence, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (720L vs 750L). Amazon →
The Poet X800L: Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (800L vs 750L). Amazon →
The Crossover750L: Shares themes of family and identity, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (750L vs 750L). Amazon →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (790L vs 750L). Amazon →
Out of My Mind700L: Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (700L vs 750L). Amazon →
Speak690L: Shares themes of identity, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Young Adult Fiction). Amazon →
Everything We Never Hadgrades 7–12: Shares themes of family and identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and overlapping grades (7–12). Amazon →
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). Amazon →

Books like The Outsiders for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (750L vs 750L).
Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows · 580L — Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (580L vs 750L).
Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton · 530L — Shares themes of friendship and family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (530L vs 750L).
Mercy Watson to the Rescue by Kate DiCamillo · 450L — Shares themes of friendship and family and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey · 730L — Shares themes of family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (730L vs 750L).

Books like The Outsiders for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of friendship, family, and identity, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (820L vs 750L).
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White · 680L — Shares themes of friendship and loyalty, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (680L vs 750L).
Pax by Sara Pennypacker · 760L — Shares themes of friendship and loyalty and a close reading level (760L vs 750L).
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks · 780L — Shares themes of friendship and identity and a close reading level (780L vs 750L).
Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina · 700L — Shares themes of family and identity and a close reading level (700L vs 750L).

Books like The Outsiders for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian · 820L — Shares themes of friendship, family, and identity, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (820L vs 750L).
Pax by Sara Pennypacker · 760L — Shares themes of friendship and loyalty and a close reading level (760L vs 750L).
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card · 780L — Shares themes of identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (780L vs 750L).
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks · 780L — Shares themes of friendship and identity and a close reading level (780L vs 750L).
Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina · 700L — Shares themes of family and identity and a close reading level (700L vs 750L).

Books like The Outsiders for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card · 780L — Shares themes of identity, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (780L vs 750L).
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky · 720L — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Young Adult Fiction), and a close reading level (720L vs 750L).
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou · 1070L — Shares themes of family and identity and both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker · 670L — Shares themes of family and identity and a close reading level (670L vs 750L).
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes · 910L — Shares themes of friendship and identity and a close reading level (910L vs 750L).

Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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