The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

S. E. Hinton’s classic novel of the destructiveness and tenderness of youth.  Ponyboy (his real name) is a fourteen year old living with his two older brothers after his parents died in a car wreck.  In his town you are in one of two groups: either your a Soc, short for socialite meaning you have money, a fast car and live on the good side of town, otherwise your a greaser.  Life is tough (not tuff) when your a greaser and Ponyboy is no exception.  Though with his gang of brothers Ponyboy will always have a family.

Everything changes after one fateful night when Ponyboy runs away from his brother and finds himself an accesory to murder and skipping town.  While away Ponyboy learns who he really is and his place in his family.  Can he make everything right?  Can things ever go back the way the were?

S. E. Hinton, recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards award for excellence in Young Adult Literatature, and author of several books for Young Adults wrote The Outsiders when she (that’s right, she) was sixteen years old.

Heavenly Creatures by Peter Jackson

The shocking true story of New Zealand teenagers Pauline Rieper (Melanie Lynskey) and Juliet Hulme (Kate Winslet), inseparable best friends who conspired to murder Pauline’s mother after she tried to sever their “unwholesome” relationship. Virtuoso stylist Jackson plunges into the fevered imaginations of the precocious girls, who together create an intricate medieval fantasy world they dub “Borovnia.” Following hard on the heels of the initial release of this film came the startling revelation that Hulme, who, like Pauline, did prison time, grew up to become the best-selling crime novelist Anne Perry.

Directed by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) the movie is absolutely stunning.  Stylish and clever the story unfolds to a horrific conclusion.  Check this movie out to see where Jackson’s twisted mind began.

Elk’s Run by Joshua Hale Fialkov

Fialkov’s Elk’s Run is the fascinating story of a group of kids who have never known life outside of Elk’s Run.  When their fathers had left Vietnam they felt rejected by the society that they fought for, so they started a small town and controled everything going in and coming out of the town.  Things were great for awhile until people began questioning the authority of the town’s founder after an incident that left a child dead.  Around the same time the teens of the town decide to escape.  This leads to a confrontation from which Elk’s Run will never recover.

This graphic Novel is riveting and you won’t be able to put it down.  The artwork is good but the story is where the novel shines.  A must read for Graphic Novel fans.