The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (full name Susan Eloise Hinton) is a wonderfully written coming of age story about a boy named Ponyboy (yes, that's his real name) his brothers, and his friends, including his best friend, Johnny. They belong to a social class called the Greasers, the poor class in town which is often picked on by the Socs (pronounced Soshes, which is short for Social). They get by until one fateful night when a group of Socs chase down Ponyboy and Johnny and try to drown Ponyboy in a fountain. When Johnny kills one of them defending Ponyboy, what are the two friends going to do? The book is amazing, and a great read for teens as well as adults.