1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Frost, Helen. 2003. KEESHA'S HOUSE. New York: Frances Foster Books/Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. ISBN 0374340641
2. PLOT SUMMARY
This book is a verse novel which tells the story of the struggles of seven teenagers. Each of the teenagers in the book had a problem which caused them to leave their own home and go to Joe's house, where they got a free room, an undisturbed place of their own, and no questions were asked. In this house, the teenagers found safety and companionship as they struggled to put their lives back together.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The characters in this book are written in such a way that they seem to be real. The novel reads like a collection of autobiographies, not as one of fiction. The struggles that the teenagers in the book are facing are the same kind of problems that so many teens have to face, making each individual character's story believable and deeply felt.
Keesha ended up at Joe's house after the death of her mother. She could not take living with her alcoholic and abusive father. At the beginning of the book, her younger brother, Tobias, was still at home with her father. In the middle of the book, he was helping local drug dealers. By the end of the novel, the fourteen-year-old was dead. Keesha had always taken care of everyone else and Joe wondered who would take care of Keesha. At the end of the book, Keesha had plans to someday have a house just like Joe's where teenagers in trouble could go, no questions asked.
Stephie lived in a home with two loving parents who expected everything to be perfect. Stephie ran away to Joe's house after becoming pregnant and not wanting to face her parents. After a short stay, she went home and learned that her own mother had faced the same problem as a teen and gave her older brother up for adoption. Stephie ended up losing the baby and finding her freedom and was happy to be a "girl" again.
Jason was about to become a father. Stephie was pregnant and he was torn between his love and obligation to her and the baby and his future basketball career. It was only at the end of the novel that he went to Joe's house to visit along with Stephie. He was surprised that he was sad at the loss of the baby, but glad to have the chance at a career in basketball.
Dontay ran away from his foster parents' home to Joe's because he felt unloved and unwelcome there. Both of his parents were in prison. By the end of the novel, he was back in his foster parents' home trying to make the best of things for the three months he had to wait until his parents were released from prison.
Carmen had been in a juvenile detention center after getting arrested for a DWI. After the judge lets her go home to her grandmother's house, she learned that addiction ran in her family and had to struggle to overcome it. At the end of the book, she used Joe's house as a place to go where none of the people inside are drinking.
Harris came to Joe's house after running away from home when his parents would not accept that he was gay. He found acceptance there and could be who he was, not who his parents wanted him to be.
Katie ended up at Joe's house after she ran away from home in an attempt to get away from her abusive step-father. There, she slept in the basement with the door locked so no one could come in in the middle of the night, like her step-father had done when she lived at home.
In this novel, each of these characters' stories are told one page at a time alternating between characters throughout the entire book. The book also has some pages dedicated to some of the people in each of the main characters' lives, such as Joe, Keesha's father, Stephie's mother, Jason's coach, Dontay's foster father, Carmen's grandmother, Harris' mother, and Katie's mother. The short excerpts give the story from different points of view than just that of the main characters.
The novel was written in free verse form for most of the verses. There were only two chapters where each poem within the chapter rhymed. In the back of the book, Frost wrote an explanation of the types of poetry found in this novel. Poems in this book were written in sestina form and a few different types of sonnets. The language used in this novel is language that would be natural to teenagers living through these types of situations, making their stories believable. The emotional impact this novel has on the reader is great. Frost writes in a way that the reader identifies with and feels the pain of each character in the novel. This novel is excellent reading for middle school to high school students.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist: "In a long note, Frost talks about the poetic forms she has used, the sestina and the sonnet. But most readers will be less interested in that framework than in the characters, drawn with aching realism, who speak poetry in ordinary words and make connections."
Children's Literature: "Although sestinas and sonnets, usually bring to mind romantic writings from the far past, they prove an equally effective format for this poignant contemporary book. Ms. Frost uses the poetic discipline to allow seven alienated teens and people involved in their lives to tell their unembroidered stories concisely and effectively. "
5. CONNECTIONS
*This novel could be used for a lesson for older students about families and the problems faced by teenagers.
*Other books by Helen Frost:
FEELING SAD. ISBN 0736806709
FEELING SCARED. ISBN 0736806717
*Other books about problems faced by teenagers and families:
McDonald, Joyce. SHADOW PEOPLE. ISBN 0385326629
Velde, Vivian Vande. ALISON, WHO WENT AWAY. ISBN 0618045856
Frost, Helen. 2003. KEESHA'S HOUSE. New York: Frances Foster Books/Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. ISBN 0374340641
2. PLOT SUMMARY
This book is a verse novel which tells the story of the struggles of seven teenagers. Each of the teenagers in the book had a problem which caused them to leave their own home and go to Joe's house, where they got a free room, an undisturbed place of their own, and no questions were asked. In this house, the teenagers found safety and companionship as they struggled to put their lives back together.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The characters in this book are written in such a way that they seem to be real. The novel reads like a collection of autobiographies, not as one of fiction. The struggles that the teenagers in the book are facing are the same kind of problems that so many teens have to face, making each individual character's story believable and deeply felt.
Keesha ended up at Joe's house after the death of her mother. She could not take living with her alcoholic and abusive father. At the beginning of the book, her younger brother, Tobias, was still at home with her father. In the middle of the book, he was helping local drug dealers. By the end of the novel, the fourteen-year-old was dead. Keesha had always taken care of everyone else and Joe wondered who would take care of Keesha. At the end of the book, Keesha had plans to someday have a house just like Joe's where teenagers in trouble could go, no questions asked.
Stephie lived in a home with two loving parents who expected everything to be perfect. Stephie ran away to Joe's house after becoming pregnant and not wanting to face her parents. After a short stay, she went home and learned that her own mother had faced the same problem as a teen and gave her older brother up for adoption. Stephie ended up losing the baby and finding her freedom and was happy to be a "girl" again.
Jason was about to become a father. Stephie was pregnant and he was torn between his love and obligation to her and the baby and his future basketball career. It was only at the end of the novel that he went to Joe's house to visit along with Stephie. He was surprised that he was sad at the loss of the baby, but glad to have the chance at a career in basketball.
Dontay ran away from his foster parents' home to Joe's because he felt unloved and unwelcome there. Both of his parents were in prison. By the end of the novel, he was back in his foster parents' home trying to make the best of things for the three months he had to wait until his parents were released from prison.
Carmen had been in a juvenile detention center after getting arrested for a DWI. After the judge lets her go home to her grandmother's house, she learned that addiction ran in her family and had to struggle to overcome it. At the end of the book, she used Joe's house as a place to go where none of the people inside are drinking.
Harris came to Joe's house after running away from home when his parents would not accept that he was gay. He found acceptance there and could be who he was, not who his parents wanted him to be.
Katie ended up at Joe's house after she ran away from home in an attempt to get away from her abusive step-father. There, she slept in the basement with the door locked so no one could come in in the middle of the night, like her step-father had done when she lived at home.
In this novel, each of these characters' stories are told one page at a time alternating between characters throughout the entire book. The book also has some pages dedicated to some of the people in each of the main characters' lives, such as Joe, Keesha's father, Stephie's mother, Jason's coach, Dontay's foster father, Carmen's grandmother, Harris' mother, and Katie's mother. The short excerpts give the story from different points of view than just that of the main characters.
The novel was written in free verse form for most of the verses. There were only two chapters where each poem within the chapter rhymed. In the back of the book, Frost wrote an explanation of the types of poetry found in this novel. Poems in this book were written in sestina form and a few different types of sonnets. The language used in this novel is language that would be natural to teenagers living through these types of situations, making their stories believable. The emotional impact this novel has on the reader is great. Frost writes in a way that the reader identifies with and feels the pain of each character in the novel. This novel is excellent reading for middle school to high school students.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist: "In a long note, Frost talks about the poetic forms she has used, the sestina and the sonnet. But most readers will be less interested in that framework than in the characters, drawn with aching realism, who speak poetry in ordinary words and make connections."
Children's Literature: "Although sestinas and sonnets, usually bring to mind romantic writings from the far past, they prove an equally effective format for this poignant contemporary book. Ms. Frost uses the poetic discipline to allow seven alienated teens and people involved in their lives to tell their unembroidered stories concisely and effectively. "
5. CONNECTIONS
*This novel could be used for a lesson for older students about families and the problems faced by teenagers.
*Other books by Helen Frost:
FEELING SAD. ISBN 0736806709
FEELING SCARED. ISBN 0736806717
*Other books about problems faced by teenagers and families:
McDonald, Joyce. SHADOW PEOPLE. ISBN 0385326629
Velde, Vivian Vande. ALISON, WHO WENT AWAY. ISBN 0618045856
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