Look, I love The Outsiders. It's a novel by S.E. Hinton that you've at least heard of if you haven't read (and loved). After I was assigned The Outsiders, I was left wanting more of Hinton's other works. I wanted to explore her writing style, which I quickly fell in love with after reading The Outsiders. That's when I picked up the book she wrote four years later, That Was Then, This Is Now.

The novel follows, once again, an engaging cast of characters set in a world that, a little way into the book, seems to be familiar to readers of The Outsiders. However, That Was Then, This Is Now feels much more grounded and personal than The Outsiders, dealing more with issues of social status or falling deep into metaphorical darkness. We watch friendly and innocent characters lose themselves in their situations and, by the end, reach a place that forces the reader to feel empathy and see themselves in this world. It's a story that I can, personally, become attached to more. It feels intimate and close, a closeness that adds to those feelings of empathy when the peaks and valleys of this novel occur.

I think the work of S.E. Hinton should be read by many, considering that she was 20 when she wrote That Was Then, This Is Now. This book inspires me to write, and S.E. Hinton shows everyone what can be accomplished at such a young age.

Review by: Ian Pagan

Ian is a virtual volunteer at the West Los Angeles Regional Branch Library. He is an 11th grader at University High School.

—Carrie Davies, West Los Angeles Regional Branch Library