Keesha's House
by Helen Frost

Subjects: Relationships, School Life, African Americans  
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Poetry

Who do you turn to when no one understands?  Where do you go when you have no place to live?  Stephie is 14, pregnant, estranged from her boyfriend and hiding her pregnancy from everyone, especially her parents, but she can’t hide forever.  Jason, Stephie’s boyfriend’s not ready to be a father.  College basketball scouts are recruiting him.  If he steps up, his college career will be over.  Dontay struggles everyday bounced from one foster home to another while his parents are in prison.  He is soon faced with a decision that will change his life.  Carmen did a friend a favor and took him home from a party only she got pulled over for DUI.  It’s not the first time and now she sits in jail waiting and hoping her grandmother will get her out and the judge will be lenient.  Harris disowned by his father for being gay, is harassed at school and now lives out of his car, breaking and entering for food.  Katie desperate to escape her mother’s new sicko boyfriend struggles to survive. And Keesha, herself, who moved out of her alcoholic father’s house tries to keep it together and save her 14 year old brother.  Who do you turn to when no one understands?  Where do you go when you have nothing and no place to live?  See how these seven teenagers find what they need at Keesha’s House by Helen Frost.

Booktalk prepared by Janice Bailey, East Central High Librarian