BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Frost, Helen. 2003. Keesha’s House. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN: 9780374340643

PLOT SUMMARY:

This young adult novel is written in a poetic series of sestinas and sonnets. It tells the story of seven young teenagers in difficult life situations, struggling to survive. Each teen tells their story in a short verse. There is a safe house that they all find their way to. This house provides them with safety and some comfort from the very adult problems they are faced with. We also hear from some of the adults in their lives and get a perspective on their side of the story. Each teen has a chance to speak again as the book concludes, allowing the reader to hear how the teen has evolved from their experience of living at the safe house.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

This book easily draws the reader in, both due to the writing style and the disturbing subject matter of the story. The story is told in the voices of six young teenagers in a series of sonnets and sestinas. These are teenagers living very grown up lives, shouldering burdens that anyone could buckle under. One girl is pregnant and afraid to tell anyone, except her boyfriend. The boyfriend is set to go off to college on an all sports scholarship. Another girl is fighting off advances her mothers new husband is making towards her. The third girl is living with her grandmother and falling into the world of drinking and going along with the crowd. One boy is discovering that he is gay and is now disowned by his father. Another boy is living in a series of foster homes unsuccessfully while he waits for his parents to be released from prison.

The odds that these young people were up against often seemed insurmountable, and yet they strived for survival. These are the voices of strong souls who have found themselves with troubles they did not ask for and want just to live in comfort and safety and to have “family”.

The story told in verse moves quickly while each voice heard is very individual. While reading the stories of these young adults the reader is not overly aware of the story being told in verse. This is a very effective way to introduce a form of poetry young adults may not be familiar with.

This successful first novel by author Helen Frost won the 2004 Michael L. Printz Honor Award.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:

School Library Journal: “Teens may read this engaging novel without even realizing they are reading poetry.”

VOYA: “Spare, eloquent, and elegantly concise.”

Alan Review: ” The rhythmic quality and easy flow of the poetic forms allow the reader to feel the life in these characters in a powerful way.”

CONNECTIONS:

•Have students try writing in free verse, perhaps a day in their life or one memorable event.

•For more young adult themed novels written in verse, try:

Herrera, Juan Felipe. Crashboomlove: A Novel in Verse. ISBN: 9780826321145

Glenn, Mel. Split Image. ISBN: 9780060004811

Wayland, April Halprin. Girl Coming in for a Landing. ISBN: 9780440419037

Wolf, Virgina Euwer. Make Lemonade. ISBN: 9780805080704