Keesha's House

What does poetry have to do with the expression of inner emotions? How do the characters utilize verse to share their mixed feelings and emotions, and how might this be less effective if presented in prose?

The poems in the book contain myriad symbols. Identify a few of the symbols and discuss what they represent and how that symbol transcends the poem and relates to the entire story. The “slots” symbol appears in Part 2, Chapter 13, but how does “slots” apply to Part 1 and Part 8?

Explain how the poems work together to push the narrative forward. In other words, discuss how Frost uses the alternating perspectives to compel various plots. How do the poems work together to tell the story of Tobias’s death, Stephie’s pregnancy, or Carmen’s problems with alcohol?

How does Frost divide the spotlight between the seven main teen characters? Does each young person get a full and complex story, or do some stories receive more attention than others? What factors contribute to the imbalance or the equity?

Focus on the adults, and discuss what makes some adults positive or redeemable, while some of the other adults remain toxic. How does Frost use the poems to make some of the adults, like Keesha’s father, sympathetic? How does she use the poems to make adults, like Harris’s mother, less admirable?

The characters battle several issues, so consider how each character represents a pressing problem. How does Harris represent the LGBTQ+ experience? How does Carmen represent the substance use disorder experience? What issues do Stephie, Keesha, and Katie represent?

Three important themes are The Quest for Belonging, The Flaws of Families, and The Need for Resilience. Discuss the relationship between the themes. How do imperfect families make the young characters feel unaccepted? How do the teen characters showcase strength and find places where they feel welcomed?

There are many novels in verse for young readers. Read another book that tells a story in verse—like Kwame Alexander’s The Crossover (2014) or Thanhha Lai’s Inside Out and Back Again (2011)—and discuss the similarities. How do Alexander’s poems provide different perspectives and propel the plot? How does Lai’s protagonist showcase strength and search for belonging?