Keesha's House Read online

  White Walls (CARMEN)

  I Look Around and Wonder (HARRIS)

  House of Cards (KATIE)

  PART III: ON THEIR OWN

  I Know the Value (JOE)

  On Her Own (STEPHIE’S MOTHER)

  You Dream About a Kid Like This (COACH HARDEN)

  It Would Be Good for Him (DONTAY’S CASEWORKER)

  Lord, Give Me Strength (CARMEN’S GRANDMOTHER)

  Can’t Risk Taking Any Action (ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL)

  Not Much I Can Do (KATIE’S ENGLISH TEACHER)

  PART IV: THE DEEP END

  Across Whatever Secret (STEPHIE)

  Home Court (JASON)

  The River (KEESHA)

  Low-key, Keepin’ Quiet (DONTAY)

  My Inside Self (CARMEN)

  I Don’t Call This Stealing (HARRIS)

  The Deep End (KATIE)

  PART V: WE PASS EACH OTHER

  We Pass Each Other (STEPHIE)

  Making Sure (JASON)

  Burning (KEESHA)

  Runnin’ Outta Couches (DONTAY)

  Sometimes I Wonder (CARMEN)

  Do Not Leave Children Unattended (HARRIS)

  We Can Both See (KATIE)

  PART VI: KEESHA’S HOUSE

  Keesha’s House (JOE)

  Same Old Story (DONTAY’S FATHER)

  He’s Got a Place (DONTAY’S FOSTER FATHER)

  Who’d Be Hurt? (JUDGE DAVISON)

  She’s Doing Okay (KEESHA’S FATHER)

  Where’s Harris? (HARRIS’S MOTHER)

  Skating Off Alone (KATIE’S MOTHER)

  PART VII: FINDING HEARTBEATS

  Keesha’s Brother (STEPHIE)

  Invisible Shield (JASON)

  A Good Person (KEESHA)

  Ready to Try Again (DONTAY)

  A Long, Hard Talk (CARMEN)

  Light Through the Window (HARRIS)

  Finding Heartbeats (KATIE)

  PART VIII: PAINT AND PAINTBRUSH

  The Wide Blue Door (STEPHIE)

  Is It Fair? (JASON)

  Shifting Gears (KEESHA)

  Three Months (DONTAY)

  One Step Higher (CARMEN)

  Up to Us (HARRIS)

  Paint and Paintbrush (KATIE)

  NOTES ON THE FORMS

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  A CONVERSATION WITH HELEN FROST

  A NEW POEM FOR READERS OF KEESHA’S HOUSE

  TRY WRITING A TRITINA

  AN EXCERPT FROM DIAMOND WILLOW

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  COPYRIGHT

  An Imprint of Macmillan

  KEESHA’S HOUSE. Copyright © 2003 by Helen Frost.

  All rights reserved. For information, address Square Fish, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

  Square Fish and the Square Fish logo are trademarks of Macmillan and are used by Farrar Straus Giroux under license from Macmillan.

  Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].

  Originally published in the United States by Farrar Straus Giroux

  First Square Fish Edition: January 2013

  Square Fish logo designed by Filomena Tuosto

  macteenbooks.com

  eISBN 9781466896321

  First eBook edition: July 2016