An unforgettable narrative collage told in poemsKeesha 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.