Keesha Franklin

**Keesha Franklin** is one of the major students in the Frizzle class, who was introduced along with Carlos in the sixth book in the original series, *The Magic School Bus in the Time of the Dinosaurs*.

In the TV canon, she was played by Erica Luttrell in *The Magic School Bus* and currently by Mikaela Blake since *The Magic School Bus Rides Again* in 2017.

## Background

She is the more level-headed student of the entire class, always wanting to “get the facts” about a topic. Because of her skepticism, Keesha usually gets into arguments, usually with Ralphie, who tends to live in his own imagination. Keesha is also shown to be ambitious, but unlike Arnold’s arrogant cousin, Janet, Keesha will stop her pursuit when she realizes that she is either wrong or putting her classmates in danger.

Before to her fifth-grade school year, Keesha was a student in Professor Valerie Frizzle's class. In Gets Ants in Its Pants, her teacher and her fellow classmates agreed to help make a documentary after ants for the school science fair, and proceeded to conduct them on a field trip inside of an anthill, where they produce and film on location. Keesha and the Professor went on "trial" in "In a Pickle". Keesha often gets into fights with the other students, especially with Ralphie. For example, in “Flexes Its Muscles”, the two got into a quarrel about a robot that the latter could build to do his chores so that he could participate in recess. When the Professor declares a field trip to the auto-parts shop to fix the Bus, Ralphie takes advantage of the trip and tries to prove Keesha wrong by building a robot out of car parts. But when the robot goes out of control, Ralphie eventually takes Keesha's side and destroys the robot. In Kicks Up a Storm, they also argued about the existence of Weatherman, a superhero that could create thunderstorms. During a field trip up in the clouds in which Ralphie takes the wheel as Weatherman, Keesha dares him to create a thunderstorm using the Magic School Bus, which he does and regrets doing. Keesha is also shown to be forgetful, as she and Arnold both forgot to do a report in "Gets Eaten". Like always, it was solved with a field trip. Keesha has a bit of a bossy side as well, taking total charge and directing the play in "Pigs in the Wind" with no help from anyone else.

## Why She Rocks

1. To start you off, the main reason why this character is well received by many fans of the series is her known catchphrase, "Oh bad, oh bad, oh bad, bad, bad."
2. Like Dorothy Ann, she is the smartest of the class and the level-headed and realistic student.
3. Her relationships with Phoebe, Carlos (second love interest), Arnold, Jyoti and Ralphie (her first love interest) are amazing.
4. Her voice actor Erica Lutterell was amazing at her role in the original, and the reboot voice actor Mikaela Blake did a decent job performing her.
5. Passable character design.
6. Her most common relationship with Ralphie is very memorable and very romantic.
7. Like Another character with same-sex parents, She is well-written and not forced.

## Bad Qualities

1. She is shown to be bossy as Janet Perlstein, but unlike Janet she'll stop her pursuit when she realizes she's either wrong or putting her friends in danger.
2. She usually argues with Ralphie who tends to live in his imagination such as in episodes like Going Batty, and Kicks Up a Storm.
3. Now with Ralphie and Jyoti's puppy love (in the Reboot), is unkwown who should be her love interest.

## Relatives

Grandmother: Mrs. Franklin

Lesbian Mothers: Mrs. Franklin and Mrs. Franklin