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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a pretty good read about teens going through different difficulties in their lives. All of them, in some way or another, are connected through a home called Keesha’s House. The book takes on an optimistic tone throughout.
This book is a double edged sword for me.
Although I believe in the spirit of the book - the idea that "Joe" would be so open with these kids and willing to give all he had in order to help them.
BUT, I have a tough time believing that so many people would be willing to give for these kids. First, what he's doing isn't exactly legal, right? Does that alone make it wrong? Ugh, it's hard. And so often, many of the adults that would be willing to do something like this (rescue these kids) aren't doing it from the goodness of their heart. I was glad Joe clarified "too old to be her man, too young to be her old man". Exactly, but so many adults who would do this would blur that line, would expect a "form" of payment.
I wish the American social services was better. i wish I knew the answers to fix it. I wish this WAS the answer, but sadly I just don't think it's all that realistic.
Reading is verse was a nice way to read so many different perspectives.
Although I believe in the spirit of the book - the idea that "Joe" would be so open with these kids and willing to give all he had in order to help them.
BUT, I have a tough time believing that so many people would be willing to give for these kids. First, what he's doing isn't exactly legal, right? Does that alone make it wrong? Ugh, it's hard. And so often, many of the adults that would be willing to do something like this (rescue these kids) aren't doing it from the goodness of their heart. I was glad Joe clarified "too old to be her man, too young to be her old man". Exactly, but so many adults who would do this would blur that line, would expect a "form" of payment.
I wish the American social services was better. i wish I knew the answers to fix it. I wish this WAS the answer, but sadly I just don't think it's all that realistic.
Reading is verse was a nice way to read so many different perspectives.
I chose to read this book for class, and I liked it. It's a book that isn't afraid to go ahead and dive into some of the heavier issues that teens face: unplanned pregnancy, alternative sexuality, adoption services, parental abuse, and alcoholism are among some of the issues discussed. It's also written in poetic form, making it a fairly quick read and giving it an interesting style. I would recommend it to kids who haven't really caught onto reading just yet (perhaps reading takes to long, or they find books inapplicable to themselves) or any student who I knew needed a safe place, a personal "Keesha's House" if you would.
As we saw in class, there are numerous ways to use this book in a middle school or high school setting. You can use it to teach poetry, dialogue, punctuation, language, or anything else with mechanics. You can also use it as a way to spur good research topics for your class. The issues I've listed above could rouse some interesting papers with a wide variety of topics.
Parental Guide-SPOILERS
Profanity-2 instances of "God." 1 instance of "faggot"The language is very mild in this book.
Violence-There's talk of "killing" a baby in reference to a possible abortion. A girl's arm gets twisted by an abusive father. A girl's body is found in the river (that's all that's said). A boy shows up with a burn on his arm from an abusive father. That same boy is killed in gang violence (not graphically told).
Sex/Nudity-One boy struggles with homosexual feelings (nothing explicit ever said). It's implied that a man might molest a young boy in a public place (a protagonist stops it from happening). One protagonist is pregnant (nothing of conception really mentioned).
Drugs/Alcohol-One boy is in a gang and is a drug carrier. No drug use mentioned. One girl struggles with an alcohol addiction and has a DUI. One father is an alcoholic and abusive.
Vulgarity-The girl who was pregnant "started bleeding" and the baby is lost.
As we saw in class, there are numerous ways to use this book in a middle school or high school setting. You can use it to teach poetry, dialogue, punctuation, language, or anything else with mechanics. You can also use it as a way to spur good research topics for your class. The issues I've listed above could rouse some interesting papers with a wide variety of topics.
Parental Guide-SPOILERS
Profanity-2 instances of "God." 1 instance of "faggot"The language is very mild in this book.
Violence-There's talk of "killing" a baby in reference to a possible abortion. A girl's arm gets twisted by an abusive father. A girl's body is found in the river (that's all that's said). A boy shows up with a burn on his arm from an abusive father. That same boy is killed in gang violence (not graphically told).
Sex/Nudity-One boy struggles with homosexual feelings (nothing explicit ever said). It's implied that a man might molest a young boy in a public place (a protagonist stops it from happening). One protagonist is pregnant (nothing of conception really mentioned).
Drugs/Alcohol-One boy is in a gang and is a drug carrier. No drug use mentioned. One girl struggles with an alcohol addiction and has a DUI. One father is an alcoholic and abusive.
Vulgarity-The girl who was pregnant "started bleeding" and the baby is lost.
Written in the poetic style, this book tells the story of several teenagers who are all experiencing problem: addiction, teen pregnancy, incest, parents in jail, sexual orientation issues. They all end up at Joe's house but they think of it as Keesha's.
My review: https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/2010/05/keeshas-house-by-helen-frost.html
My review: https://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/2010/05/keeshas-house-by-helen-frost.html
If people we're supposed to count on can't (or don't) support us, it's up to us to find the friends who can and do.
Of course we want to be with both our parents in the kind of home where we'd be loved.
But why rant on about all that? Home is in your mind.
- Keesha’s house by Helen Frost
.
.
Helen frost told the stories of 7 Teenagers in a form of poetry. We were introduced to every single one of them with their own problem and dilemma in surviving the teenagehood. Some finding refuge at Keesha’s house due to family problem including Keesha who’s being kicked out of her father’s house. When Keesha met A good samaritan named Joe that helped her, She knew she was also given a chance to help other that was in the same predicament as hers. Some of the teenagers that both Joe and Keesha helped like Harries were being disowned by his family because of his sexual orientation. Keesha also offered protection to Katie as she choose to leave the house because she’s no longer felt safe being around her stepfather. Dontay also found stability in Keesha’s house as he were bounced from one foster home to another because of his parents. As for Stephie and Jason, a classic as of reckless teenage pregnancy. Jason , on the other hands, has everything at the stake - college and basketball career. They are too young to be parents though Stephie felt reluctant to abort the baby. Carmen dealt with her addiction and in Keesha’s house she found support. Overall, a touching story with a little bit depth on social issues - poverty, addiction, family stability, foster care , homophobia and teen pregnancy. The book also taught us to be grateful for our family , our comfortable shelter and our warm meals but at the same time offered us reality for those who don’t have it. Shelter and Foster homes didn’t always work and this is where these troubled teenagers fell into deeper pits if they were not being saved. I believe this is why Helen Frost created Keesha’s house in this story in order to give these kids a glimpses of hope and inspire them to achieve their dream.
Of course we want to be with both our parents in the kind of home where we'd be loved.
But why rant on about all that? Home is in your mind.
- Keesha’s house by Helen Frost
.
.
Helen frost told the stories of 7 Teenagers in a form of poetry. We were introduced to every single one of them with their own problem and dilemma in surviving the teenagehood. Some finding refuge at Keesha’s house due to family problem including Keesha who’s being kicked out of her father’s house. When Keesha met A good samaritan named Joe that helped her, She knew she was also given a chance to help other that was in the same predicament as hers. Some of the teenagers that both Joe and Keesha helped like Harries were being disowned by his family because of his sexual orientation. Keesha also offered protection to Katie as she choose to leave the house because she’s no longer felt safe being around her stepfather. Dontay also found stability in Keesha’s house as he were bounced from one foster home to another because of his parents. As for Stephie and Jason, a classic as of reckless teenage pregnancy. Jason , on the other hands, has everything at the stake - college and basketball career. They are too young to be parents though Stephie felt reluctant to abort the baby. Carmen dealt with her addiction and in Keesha’s house she found support. Overall, a touching story with a little bit depth on social issues - poverty, addiction, family stability, foster care , homophobia and teen pregnancy. The book also taught us to be grateful for our family , our comfortable shelter and our warm meals but at the same time offered us reality for those who don’t have it. Shelter and Foster homes didn’t always work and this is where these troubled teenagers fell into deeper pits if they were not being saved. I believe this is why Helen Frost created Keesha’s house in this story in order to give these kids a glimpses of hope and inspire them to achieve their dream.
Told through several voices, this book discusses the difficulties several teens experience in their life. All are driven from their homes and in need of a place to run to. These teens find their way to Keesha's house, a local refuge for runaways. They work on their lives and work to achieve better.
This is a compelling multicultural novel. These tough stories really reach out to the readers.
This is a compelling multicultural novel. These tough stories really reach out to the readers.
Stephie, Jason, Harris, and many others all come to know and appreciate the comfort and love that is shared at Keesha's house. All of the people throughout this book experience pain and heartache in some way or another and find themselves needing a place to stay. Keesha never simply divulges the whereabouts of the house, but allows others the simple pleasure of a bed if that is what they may need at that time. The home is actually owned by Joe, but, over time, the people who come looking for a warm place to stay always ask for Keesha. Stephie realizes she's pregnant in high school, but can't find the words to tell her parents, and her boyfriend Jason, a star athlete, isn't sure he wants to give up his dreams to be a dad. All of the characters in this short novel share something with readers that can help us to learn to connect with one another and appreciate the small things in our own lives.
In strong, poetical form, this book takes readers through the lives of several people, from different perspectives. I would highly recommend this book to an audience of high school age, as there are some topics in here that are not considered appropriate for younger children. It was a fast read, and I honestly could not turn the pages fast enough.
Content Warnings: Mild violence, family issues, mild blood, hints at sexual abuse
In strong, poetical form, this book takes readers through the lives of several people, from different perspectives. I would highly recommend this book to an audience of high school age, as there are some topics in here that are not considered appropriate for younger children. It was a fast read, and I honestly could not turn the pages fast enough.
Content Warnings: Mild violence, family issues, mild blood, hints at sexual abuse
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I absolutely loved Keesha's House. I feel like it rang really true to what teenagers and young adults are going thru in their lives today. Helen Frost didn't sugarcoat the character's lives or trials to make the reader feel better, which I consider a big responsibility for author's of young adult literature. Even though the book was a quick and easy read, it still made me think and ponder these character's lives and the significance of that. I would definitely recommend this to just about anyone aging from 15-16 and onward. Even myself, a 24 year old, found this book beneficial and enlightening; I'm sure anyone else no matter their age could as well.
Since this book is written in poetry form, I would definitely like to use this book in a high school classroom if we were going over poetry. Not only would we be able to cover the different forms of poetry and why an author might choose that form, but we could also discuss the different themes in the book. These themes could include but are not limited to: family dynamics, teen pregnancy, drugs and sexuality. I would definitely need to make sure that the school administration and parents of the student's were ok with the students reading this book, but once I had gotten this 'go ahead' I would use this piece of literature to enlighten and encourage student's in their own writing.
Some warnings I have for this book include:
-Drugs: some of the characters use drugs themselves, and have a hard time breaking the habit
-Sex (including homosexuality): one of the characters is kicked out of his home by his Father for coming out as a homosexual, and another 16 year old character gets pregnant and then leaves home
-Violence: one of the main character's brother is killed by a drug dealer/member of a gang, and other characters are involved in the gangs themselves
Since this book is written in poetry form, I would definitely like to use this book in a high school classroom if we were going over poetry. Not only would we be able to cover the different forms of poetry and why an author might choose that form, but we could also discuss the different themes in the book. These themes could include but are not limited to: family dynamics, teen pregnancy, drugs and sexuality. I would definitely need to make sure that the school administration and parents of the student's were ok with the students reading this book, but once I had gotten this 'go ahead' I would use this piece of literature to enlighten and encourage student's in their own writing.
Some warnings I have for this book include:
-Drugs: some of the characters use drugs themselves, and have a hard time breaking the habit
-Sex (including homosexuality): one of the characters is kicked out of his home by his Father for coming out as a homosexual, and another 16 year old character gets pregnant and then leaves home
-Violence: one of the main character's brother is killed by a drug dealer/member of a gang, and other characters are involved in the gangs themselves
Frost is a master with various points of view and writing in poetic verse. Need to make sure some of my High School teaching buddies know about this one.