Keesha's House (Michael L Printz Honor Book (Awards)) (ISBN 0374340641)

Great Book for Young Adults:
Helen Frost does a terrific job of writing characters that all young people can relate to. Each character brings a different set of problems to a house where all are accepted and all are welcome. Tender moments prevail as a group of unwanted misfits manage to create a safe haven and family-like home. My only concern would be the man who owns the home. Perhaps we don't learn enough about him to be able to ward off uncomfortable feelings. An older man who allows unwanted teenagers to live in his house without paying rent? Let's hope that our young people know enough not to replicate this scenerio, as we know that this picture-perfect setting is realistically not as innocent.

An enjoyable suprise:
Now, I am not one who traditionally likes to read poetry, but I checked this book out from the library and finished it by the end of the day, and not only that but I found it to be quite a delight. The only problem is that it seemed the book went too fast and didn't focus enough on each character and their lives at the house, or afterwards for that matter. However, I would still reccomend this book to all my friends

Keshia's Point:
Keesha's House is a great inspirational novel for teens who might be reaching the peak of their young adult life. Many of the problems presented in this novel are things teens go through everyday. I felt that I could connect and that made every page more exciting to read. I know there are times in life when we wish there was a place we could escape to and reading this book made me see it really is possible. I give this book two thumbs and toes up.

How Teenagers REALLY Feel!:
How is it that a middle aged woman can capture so well what we all go through as teenagers? Frost's charecters are absolutely spell-binding, particularly the titular Keesha, who has so much depth and so many layers, she could easily just walk off the page. When I read the book for the first time, I didn't realize that it was actually poetry. Well, obviously it's printed in verse, but Frost finds a unique and passionate voice for each charecter, each of whom speak through the sestina verses, and into our hearts. Each poem also translates very well into dramatic monolouges, which can leave an audience spellbound. I should know, I saw a version of this book as a play, and audiences left captivated by Frost's words. They weave a magical spell that not many other authors can write. Younger readers should check out Frost's "Spinning Through The Universe", which is similar, but focuses on the entire class of an elementary school teacher. As one who has been so deeply touched by Frost's understanding of the human condition (especially the teen's point of view), I applaud her!

An interesting read.:
Keesha's House" by Helen Frost is a book that tells of the hardships that many teenagers are faced with. Each character faces a very different dilemma. Stephie is pregnant, Jason is Stephie's boyfriend who must decide what is important to him, Dontay is a foster child, Carmen was arrested on a DUI, Harris is gay, and Katie has and abusive stepfather. All share one quality. They need a place to get away from it all. That is where Keesha, a teenager herself, comes into play. She helps the other teens to get away from their problems. The book is written entirely in free verse poetry. This choice of writing shows off Helen Frost's exceptional skill for molding poetry into a plot. Sentence structures flow and there are very few places where the poetic style interferes with the reading. With short chapter and not many pages, readers fly through the book in a day or two, but because of the lack of dialog, readers often don't know when characters are talking to each other or if conversations are talking place. Frost creates character's readers car root for, but not everyone will be able to relate. Even though Frost's characters face various different hardships, they are problems that many don't have to go through. With no true narrator, readers don't' have anyone to cling to. Frost skips from character to character with ease, but often doesn't reveal their fate until later, which is sometimes maddening. It also seems as if each character is just telling their problem over and over only in small doses due to chapter length. Also, because of the shortness of the book, Frost is unable to include the actual conclusion of the book, leaving off at a point of bliss yet a point that leaves the reader questioning the fait of the characters. "Kasha's House" is very interesting because of its poetic style and diverse group of main characters. Although it is sometimes repetitive and choppy, it is worth the very little time it takes to read. With a strong plot and thought provoking characters, "Keesha's House" would be decent required reading material due to the diversity of its style, characters, and poetic verse. Also, because of its length, students would find it easy to read. I would recommend "Keesha's House" to anyone who is having problems dealing with a dilemma or to anyone who likes to read about real characters who face real problems.