Keesha's House

Keesha's House
	First edition
Author	Helen Frost
Language	English
Genre	Young adult, poetry
Publisher	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date	April 2, 2003
Media type	Print
Pages	128 pages
ISBN	0374340641

Keesha's House is a 2003 award winning debut young adult verse novel by American author Helen Frost. The book's story is told through multiple poems and concerns a group of teenagers that are all drawn to the house of the title character Keesha due to serious issues in their personal lives.

Synopsis

The book follows several teenagers that have come to Keesha's house in search of a safe haven. Each teen has something that is going wrong in their life. Young couple Stephie and Jason are having troubles due to her teen pregnancy, with Jason feeling pressure due to him feeling like he has to choose between a potential sports career and his responsibilities. Dontay and Carmen both have had interactions with the legal system. Carmen must deal with a DUI charge while Dontay is shuffled through the foster care system due to his parents being in prison. Meanwhile, Harris and Katie are both experiencing trouble with their family members. Harris has come out to his father, only to be disowned. Katie can't understand why her mother remains with her abusive stepfather and tries to escape her situation by becoming a workaholic in every aspect of her life.

Reception

Initial critical reception for Keesha's House has been predominantly positive.[1][2] Booklist and the School Library Journal have both praised the audiobook adaptation's narration, with the School Library journal commenting that it was a "perfect vehicle for teaching high school poetry".[3][4]

Awards

Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, 2004
Michael L. Printz Honor Award, 2004[5]
YALSA's "Selected Videos, DVDs, and Audiobooks For Young Adults", 2005[6]

Stage adaptation

In 2004 the book was adapted into a stage play by Fort Wayne's Youtheatre.[7]

References

"Keesha's House". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
"Children's Review: Keesha's House". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
"Booklist audio review: Keesha's House". Booklist. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
"Audio of the Week--Keesha's House (unabr.)". School Library Journal. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
"Michael L. Printz Winners and Honor Books". YALSA. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
"YALSA's 2005 Selected Videos, DVDs, and Audiobooks For Young Adults". School Library Journal. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
"Young actors, complex emotions, "Keesha's House" ventures into the territory of troubled teens". News-Sentinel. April 22, 2004. Retrieved 13 December 2012.

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[1] "Keesha's House". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 13 December 2012.

[2] "Children's Review: Keesha's House". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 13 December 2012.

[3] "Booklist audio review: Keesha's House". Booklist. Retrieved 13 December 2012.

[4] "Audio of the Week--Keesha's House (unabr.)". School Library Journal. Retrieved 13 December 2012.

[5] "Michael L. Printz Winners and Honor Books". YALSA. Retrieved 13 December 2012.

[6] "YALSA's 2005 Selected Videos, DVDs, and Audiobooks For Young Adults". School Library Journal. Retrieved 13 December 2012.

[7] "Young actors, complex emotions, "Keesha's House" ventures into the territory of troubled teens". News-Sentinel. April 22, 2004. Retrieved 13 December 2012.