Frost, Helen. Keesha's House. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.
ISBN: 0-374-34064-1; $16.00 US; Hardcover
AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS
Printz Honor Book, 2004
ALA Best Books for Young Adults
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Readers
Books for the Teen Age, New York Public Library
ANNOTATION:
The everyday struggles of seven teenagers are chronicled in poetic form.
BOOKTALK:
"I'm still trying to hold my own life together."
"Dad said if I didn't have enough respect for him to act normal, how could I expect him to keep supporting me?"
"It's not safe for me as long as he's there."
"Instead of sleepin' off the hours and days, I find some corner of my mind to keep alive."
"I need some money now, but somethin' tells me, run."
"I wish I could forget about this baby. But I can't forget the night it happened."
"My parents still think I'm their little girl."
These are the voices of seven teens struggling to stay afloat amid the hard knocks life keeps throwing at them. Whether it is because of violence, drugs, alcohol, or pregnancy, the teens find themselves living in cars, waiting time in a juvenile detention center, trying to run from their personal demons.
Frost portrays different backgrounds and family situations that help us relate to teens all around the world, and remind us that nobody is perfect; no teenager is immune to problems and adversity.
Keesha's house becomes a safe haven for these seven teens because Joe recognized their struggles; he knew he couldn't give them everything they needed, but he could give them space. And in that space would come the healing.
For any young adult who has felt alone, abandoned or lost in the sea of demands life is constantly placing, this is the book for you; for everyone will feel safe and comfortable in Keesha's House.
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