Just a teen herself in 1967 when she published her young adult novel, The Outsiders, which struck a critical and popular chord with its depiction of two rival groups from differing social worlds in Oklahoma, Hinton slowly entered the world of teen fiction over the next 20 years. While criticized for bundling every teen trope available into The Outsiders, Hinton was praised for her honest portrayal of teen life. After the success of The Outsiders, which was made into a movie starring Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon and Diane Lane in 1983, and her next book, That Was Then, This Is Now, in 1971, she wrote just two more young adult novels while battling depressing. In 2004 she published her first adult novel, Hawkes Harbor, a story that deals with expectations, mental illness and religion, which met with subdued acclaim, as parallels were made between its style and that of The Outsiders. She followed up that adult novel with another adult book, Some of Tim’s Stories, in 2006, but The Outsiders remains her most well known work.
J.K. Rowling and 6 Other Children’s Authors Who ‘Graduated’ to Adult Books
J.K. Rowling's new novel, 'The Casual Vacancy', hits shelves tomorrow. How will the author's foray into adult lit stack up against these other beloved children's authors?