Keesha's House — Content Guide for Parents
Found in this book
- ViolenceSupporting
- Sexual contentBrief
- Gender & orientationSupporting
Not found
- Scary content
- Religion
- Race & culture
- Climate
- Gender roles
Couldn't confirm
- Profanity
- Profanity: The sources do not say whether the poems contain swear words.
Content themes
Factual summary of themes present in this book. No opinion — just the facts.
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Summaries and source quotes for every theme.
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Religion
PRESENTContains references to prayer and church attendance. A minister character plays a supporting role in two chapters.
About this book
Keesha has found a safe place to live, and other kids gravitate to her house when they just can’t make it on their own. They are Stephie – pregnant, trying to make the right decisions for herself and those she cares about; Jason – Stephie’s boyfriend, torn between his responsibility to Stephie and the baby and the promise of a college basketball career; Dontay – in foster care while his parents are in prison, feeling unwanted both inside and outside the system; Carmen – arrested on a DUI charge, waiting in a juvenile detention center for a judge to hear her case; Harris – disowned by his father after disclosing that he’s gay, living in his car, and taking care of himself; Katie – angry at her mother’s loyalty to an abusive stepfather, losing herself in long hours of work and school.
Stretching the boundaries of traditional poetic forms – sestinas and sonnets – Helen Frost’s extraordinary debut novel for young adults weaves together the stories of these seven teenagers as they courageously struggle to hold their lives together and overcome their difficulties. Keesha's House is a 2004 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Frequently asked questions
Is Keesha's House appropriate for a 7-year-old?
Katie's stepfather abuses or tries to abuse her, and a reader notes mild violence; the sources give no detail on how much is shown. A reader notes hints of sexual abuse in Katie's storyline, and a teen pregnancy is part of the story; neither is described as shown in detail.
Does Keesha's House have violence?
Found (Supporting): Katie's stepfather abuses or tries to abuse her, and a reader notes mild violence; the sources give no detail on how much is shown.
Does Keesha's House have scary content?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does Keesha's House have religion?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does Keesha's House have race & culture?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does Keesha's House have profanity?
Couldn't confirm: The sources do not say whether the poems contain swear words.
Does Keesha's House have climate?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does Keesha's House have sexual content?
Found (Brief): A reader notes hints of sexual abuse in Katie's storyline, and a teen pregnancy is part of the story; neither is described as shown in detail.
Does Keesha's House have gender roles?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does Keesha's House have gender & orientation?
Found (Supporting): Harris, one of the seven teen narrators, is gay, is disowned by his father, and lives in his car.
