A heroic story of friendship and belonging.
Ponyboy can count on his brothers. And on his friends. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up “greasers” like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect–until the night someone takes things too far.

"In Tex," the raw energy for which Hinton has justifiably reaped praise has not been tamed--it's been cultivated, and the result is a fine, solidly constructed, and well-paced story."--"School Library Journal," Starred "An ALA Best Books for Young Adults"A" School Library Journal "Best Books of the Year"

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

“A powerful story. . . . Travis is Everyteen: part insecure hell-raiser, part closet intellectual, prone to both sneers and tears. Hinton continues to grow more reflective in her books, but her great understanding, not of what teenagers are but of what they can hope to be, is undiminished.”— Kirkus Reviews
An ALA Best Books for Young Adults
An ALA Quick Pick

“Stylistically superb. . . . This packs a punch that will leave readers of any age reeling.”— School Library Journal , Starred
“Sharper in focus and more mature in style than Hinton’s The Outsiders.”— Booklist
An ALA Best Books for Young Adults
A School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

is about two weeks in the life of a 14-year-old boy. The novel tells the story of Ponyboy Curtis and his struggles with right and wrong in a society in which he believes that he is an outsider. According to Ponyboy, there are two kinds of people in the world: greasers and socs. A soc (short for "social") has money, can get away with just about anything, and has an attitude longer than a limousine. A greaser, on the other hand, always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. Ponyboy is a greaser, and he's always been proud of it, even willing to rumble against a gang of socs for the sake of his fellow greasers--until one terrible night when his friend Johnny kills a soc. The murder gets under Ponyboy's skin, causing his bifurcated world to crumble and teaching him that pain feels the same whether a soc or a greaser.