Keesha's House

Keesha’s House is the debut 2003 young-adult verse novel written by American author Helen Frost. Told entirely in free verse sonnets and sestinas from various characters, the story follows six teenagers who convene at a girl named Keesha’s house in search of refuge from their troubled lives. Chapters alternate between the first-person perspectives of each character, with only two segments of the book told from the view of adults. As the teens meet up and start to share their personal hardships with one another, a therapeutic bond is formed among many of them, which allows for hope, help, and ultimately, healing. Keesha’s House has been called “impressive” by Kirkus Reviews, “spare, elegant, and eloquently concise” by Voya, and “personal, poetic, and immediate” by Booklist. The novel also won several awards, including the 2004 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year, the 2004 Printz Honor Award, and the 2005 YALSA’s “Selected Videos, DVDs, and Audiobooks for Young Adults.”

In an unspecified time and place, Keesha Walker is a high-school teenager who has a troubled home life. Her mother has recently died, and her father is a verbally abusive alcoholic who is unable to properly parent. Keesha knows she has to depend on herself, especially when she becomes so upset about her difficult life that she leaves home. Keesha worries about leaving her little brother, Tobias, behind with their unstable father. Keesha’s also concerned Tobias will get in trouble with his mischievous friends. Once she leaves her house, Keesha finds safe haven in a house nearby owned by a man named Joe, who kindly allows troubled children to stay at his house free of rent or official sanction. Once Keesha finds a sense of safety and stability inside the house, she begins reaching out to other teenagers, like herself, who have major problems at home and need a place to stay. Six additional teenagers arrive, sharing their own personal pain, fears, and troubles. As time goes on, each teen finds a sense of hopeful healing inside Keesha’s house.

The first teens to accept Keesha’s invitation are Jason and Stephie, an underage couple dealing with teen pregnancy. Stephie’s a bright 16-year-old girl who is terrified of how her mother will react if and when she finds out she’s pregnant. She’s also worried about her classmates discovering the pregnancy and spreading the word around. Stephie is also concerned that her boyfriend Jason will decide to leave her and raise their baby on his own. However, all Jason can think about is how the pregnancy will negatively affect his potential basketball career. Jason expresses his ambivalence over whether to pursue his personal dreams or parental responsibilities. In the end, Stephie is traumatized when terminating her pregnancy but is able to absolve some of her guilt. Afterwards, she and Jason grow apart.



A 14-year-old boy named Dontay arrives at the house and explains that his parents are in jail for a crime they claim they’re innocent of. Dontay expresses how much he hates being put though the foster care system, and how much he dislikes his cruel new parents. Dontay’s foster parents favor their own biological child. They also deny Dontay food, disallow him a house key, and lock him out of the house when he fails to show up for curfew on time. Dontay decides that he’s better off on his own and runs away from home. While at Keesha’s, Joe helps Dontay reach one of his former foster families.

A girl named Carmen comes to the house and tries to help Dontay, which leads to her second underage DUI arrest and a stay at a juvenile detention center. Carmen has a history of drug and alcohol abuse and run-ins with the law, which stem from her mother leaving her behind as a child. While held in detention, Carmen pines for her grandmother, who raised Carmen and wants her to clean up her life and make better choices moving forward. Through her time at Keesha’s, Carmen is willing to be given a second chance and makes changes for the better.

Another boy, Harris, arrives at the house. Harris explains that he is gay, for which he is bullied at school. He recalls finding a threatening note in his locker, as well as being shoved in the cafeteria. Harris works up the courage to confess his homosexuality to his father. When he does so, Harris is disowned by his father immediately. Harris is disappointed that his mother fails to stick up for him. Harris begins living in his parents’ car, for which they give him the spare key. Harris tries to find a job for food and finds comfort while staying in the attic of Keesha’s house.



Harris shares his troubled home life with Katie, the last teen to join the household. Katie cannot understand why her mother chooses to stay with her abusive new husband. Katie’s stepfather tries to sexually molest her in bed at night. When Katie gives her mother an ultimatum, her mother tells Katie that she just needs to get to know her stepfather better. Katie moves into the basement so that she can lock the door. Katie also works 40 hours a week so she can provide for herself. As her home life worsens, so do her grades in school. Katie won’t return home unless her mom leaves her stepfather.

As all seven teens come together to share their stories and reconcile their personal wounds, a healing process begins. However, at the end of the novel, good feelings are shattered when the kids read a newspaper headline declaring the death of 14-year-old Tobias Walker. Following Keesha’s departure from home, Tobias fell into the wrong crowd, just as Keesha worried he might. Tobias began selling drugs and was killed by gang violence. Following the news, all of the teens that Keesha invited into the house give her a loving and supportive embrace. While Keesha is struck by tragedy, she now has a caring support system to help her overcome her pain and grief.