by S. E. Hinton
First published 1998
Byron and Mark are teenage best friends in a rough neighborhood, bound by loyalty and street survival. When Mark starts selling drugs and commits a shocking act of violence, Byron must choose between protecting his friend and doing what's right. Their brotherhood fractures under escalating tensions between Greasers and Socs, pushing Byron toward an impossible moral crossroads. With the streets growing more dangerous and Mark spiraling into crime, Byron confronts the painful reality that sometimes friendship means letting go.
Genres: drama, american-fiction, 20th-century, coming-of-age, crime, adolescence
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: The Tracks
Period: 20th-Century
159 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Puffin Books
Content warnings: violence