# Keesha's House > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Keesha's_House > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Keesha's_House.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keesha's_House > Source revision: 1354724982 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) 2003 novel by Helen Frost Keesha's House First edition Author Helen Frost Language English Genre Young adult, poetry Publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publication date April 2, 2003 Media type Print Pages 128 pages ISBN 0374340641 ***Keesha's House*** is a 2003 award-winning debut young adult [verse novel](/source/Verse_novel) by American author [Helen Frost](/source/Helen_Frost). The book's story is told through multiple poems and concerns a group of teenagers that are all drawn to the house of the title character Keesha due to serious issues in their personal lives. ## Synopsis The book follows several teenagers that have come to Keesha's house in search of a safe haven. Each teen has something that is going wrong in their life. Young couple Stephie and Jason are having troubles due to her [teen pregnancy](/source/Teen_pregnancy), with Jason feeling pressure due to him feeling like he has to choose between a potential sports career and his responsibilities. Dontay and Carmen both have had interactions with the legal system. Carmen must deal with a DUI charge while Dontay is shuffled through the [foster care](/source/Foster_care) system due to his parents being in prison. Meanwhile, Harris and Katie are both experiencing trouble with their family members. Harris has [come out](/source/Coming_out) to his father, only to be disowned. Katie can't understand why her mother remains with her abusive stepfather and tries to escape her situation by becoming a [workaholic](/source/Workaholic) in every aspect of her life. ## Reception Initial critical reception for *Keesha's House* has been predominantly positive.[1][2] [Booklist](/source/Booklist) and the [School Library Journal](/source/School_Library_Journal) have both praised the audiobook adaptation's narration, with the School Library journal commenting that it was a "perfect vehicle for teaching high school poetry".[3][4] ### Awards - [Bank Street](/source/Bank_Street_College_of_Education) Best Children's Book of the Year, 2004[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] - [Michael L. Printz Honor Award](/source/Michael_L._Printz_Award), 2004[5] - [YALSA's](/source/American_Library_Association) "Selected Videos, DVDs, and Audiobooks For Young Adults", 2005[6] ## Stage adaptation In 2004 the book was adapted into a stage play by Fort Wayne's [Youtheatre](/source/Fort_Wayne%2C_Indiana#Performing_arts).[7] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Keesha's House"](http://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/helen-frost/keeshas-house/). Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved December 13, 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Children's Review: Keesha's House"](http://www.publishersweekly.com/0-347-34064-1). Publishers Weekly. Retrieved December 13, 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Booklist audio review: Keesha's House"](http://booklistonline.com/Keesha-s-House-/pid=270553). Booklist. Retrieved December 13, 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Audio of the Week--Keesha's House (unabr.)"](http://www.libraryjournal.com/slj/reviewsmultimedia/869643-318/audio_of_the_week--keeshaaposs_house.html.csp). School Library Journal. Retrieved December 13, 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Michael L. Printz Winners and Honor Books"](http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/bookawards/printzaward/previouswinners/winners). YALSA. Retrieved December 13, 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["YALSA's 2005 Selected Videos, DVDs, and Audiobooks For Young Adults"](http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/printissuecurrentissue/869810-427/yalsaaposs_2005_selected_videos_dvds.html.csp). School Library Journal. Retrieved December 13, 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Young actors, complex emotions, "Keesha's House" ventures into the territory of troubled teens"](http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=FW&s_site=fortwayne&p_multi=FW&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=102216653A46A7E0&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM). *News-Sentinel*. April 22, 2004. Retrieved December 13, 2012. - [Children and Young Adult Literature portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Children_and_Young_Adult_Literature) Authority control databases Open Library --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Keesha's House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keesha's_House) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keesha's_House?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.