I thought The Outsiders was okay. I had to read it for school in 8th grade and I remember thinking it was okay.
Right now, we're reading The Grapes of Wrath. I think I'd enjoy the book a lot more if it wasn't for school, if I didn't have to annotate it, and if I didn't have to read 4 chapters a night.
I just finished Man Walks Into a Room by Nicole Krauss, it was extremely sad but very well written. I also read Q&A by Vikus Swarup, which is what Slumdog Millionaire was based off of, I liked it, but it was very very different from the movie.
I also just read The Tea Rose, and it's sequel, The Winter Rose, both by Jennifer Donnelly, and oh my goodness, I loved them both so much. They're longer, about 600 pages each, but so complex and wonderful. They take place in Whitechapel in London in the late 19th century and each one follows one of the family members stories. Again, there's so much I can't even begin to explain about the plot, my best advice is just to read them. I loved the books. The second one kept me up until 2 in the morning to finish the whole thing in one sitting.
