I've read that The Outsiders is considered (one of) the first YA novels and it's easy to see why. It has a lot of the characteristics from the powerpoints including the young narrator, the dramatic and quick action and emotion and absent/uninvolved parents/adults. It also has that optimistic ending and a sense of youth empowerment at the end... A 'Ponyboy wrote down his story, maybe my story is important to tell, too' type of feeling, I think.
I read this book in 8th grade and I remembered liking it, but when I thought about it, I couldn't remember why. I'm from a small town with no gangs or violence so I wasn't sure why I liked it or what I related to. The book is clearly still popular though; my suburban library has 5 copies and I read many posts online by teens saying that they couldn't put the book down. After rereading, I think Ponyboy's voice is what makes the book timeless. His voice is open, honest, and he makes great observations... His tone is relatable and transcends the characteristics of the reader.
And just an aside, the copy I picked up was newer and had an interview with the author in the back that was very interesting. I didn't realize that S.E. Hinton was a woman, and also learned that she started writing the book at 15 when a real-life incident (complete with "greaser!" name-calling) happened to one of her school friends.
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