Genre 3 Frost

Keesha’s House
Written by Helen Frost – 2003
New York, N.Y.: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN-10: 0374340641
ISBN-13: 978-0374340643

It is a book written about seven teenagers facing problems of pregnancy, homosexuality and abuse, much like a soap opera, but they find refuge in Keesha’s House. The storyline of each individual is written in chapters as Part I, Part II, etc. and within each Part each situation of each individual has their own title. It reflects the turmoil and hardships that each one is facing and the everyday tasks of trying to survive. Keesha having run away from her abusive alcoholic father, has found refuge at Joe’s house. Joe having a big heart and a huge house provided Keesha with a roof over her head and a new start in life. As Keesha meets other teens in trouble, she offers them a place to stay until they can work out their problems, as Joe had provided for her.

Analysis

Keesha having been a runaway finds ways to repay Joe for what he had taught her. A place to stay may be the one thing one needs in times of trouble to figure out what to do. The people she meets are teens like herself that have found themselves in situations that may need some guidance. Though, Keesha’s way of helping might not be the conventional way a state deals with runaways, she feels the need to help these individuals as much as possible. Stephanie is a pregnant young girls, Dontay, who is a foster care runaway, and Harris, who is trying to deal with his homosexuality and the family not accepting his decision. Frost uses the characters as we see kids in our everyday life. The characters seem so real because these are the kind of situations that students can make connections with and finds a unique and passionate voice for each character. Her usage of sestina and/or sonnet forms has a flowing poetic style and easy to read. Though, there are not any conversations monologues when characters are speaking to each other, at times it makes if difficult to know when they are talking to one another. As the story progresses through sestina writing, the fate of each character builds up for the last Part, but it might not be the ending one hopes for, but when is life fair. I would recommend this book for young adults.


Reviews
Revealing heartbreak and hope, these poems could stand alone, but work best as a story collection. Teens may read this engaging novel without even realizing they are reading poetry.
School Library Journal
. . .this moving first novel tells the story in a series of dramatic monologues that are personal, poetic, and immediate. . . characters, drawn with aching realism. . .speak poetry in ordinary words and make connections.
Booklist
. . .sestinas and sonnets. . .prove an . . .effective format for this poignant contemporary book. . ..Each [character] grows and learns. In the final chapter each is hopeful for the future....[Frost] is a published poet and has written many nonfiction books. This is her first novel. I hope it won't be her last.
Children's Literature
. . . in Frost's multi-voiced story of teens struggling to find their way in the world. . . Frost underplays her virtuosity to let readers focus on the characters and their plight. . . .In a surprisingly rigid format, the poems manage to seem spontaneous and still carry the plot easily. With a number of threads to follow, no one character is at the center, but there is great satisfaction in seeing the narratives gradually mesh as the isolation recedes and support is given. Impressive.
Kirkus
. . .artfully revealed. . . Frost makes her characters and their daily lives seem relevant and authentic...Making the most of the poetic forms, the author breathes life into these teens and their stories, resulting in a thoughtfully composed and ultimately touching book.
Publisher's Weekly
. . the final section is a crown of sonnets narrated by the teens, poignantly suggesting that the development of their own adult voices depends on the interconnectedness of their lives. . .the voices are authentic and complex; there is much potential for sophisticated analysis of both form and content.
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books:.
Connection

Helen Frost website: http://home.att.net/-frost-thompson/poetry.html
She has provided some good activities.

Language Arts: read the novel and discuss the used of the poetic forms sestina and
sonnet.

Drama: Use excerpts from the book for nonlogues or act out the whole book as
a play.

Psychology: Discuss how Keesha has provided a safe haven for these teens.

Other websites:
http://inspired2write.com/wordweave/exers/sestina.html

http://www.baymoon.com/-ariadne/form/sonnet.html