The Skin I'm In- Sharon G. Flake

 

Flake , S. (1998). The skin i'm in . New York: Jump At The Sun  

Maleeka Madison is a seventh grader at a school where she doesn't fit in and the only people that will give her the time of day are the girls who are mean to everyone. She befriends the bullies but they are even meaner to her than the other kids. Maleeka is made fun of because although she is black people say her skin is too dark. Maleeka has helped her mother for the past two years cope with the loss of her husband. Maleeka was the support for her family when no adult was available.

When a new teacher, Miss Saunders, starts at Maleeka's school Maleeka doesn't give her the time of day. She doesn't think Miss Saunders cares about her or what she needs. Miss Saunders is black like Maleeka but has a huge white birth mark on her face. Miss Saunders takes a liking to Maleeka and helps her realize that she is inevitably going to risk her grades and reputation for people who are not even her friends. 

Miss Saunders helps Maleeka to realize that you will never gain friends or respect with out believing in yourself and respecting what you believe in. With a turn of events Maleeka asks herself if being like everyone else is really that important? Do you have to be like everyone else? 

The characters in this book are well developed and the plot line is very strong. Students could read this book and realize that being different is not such a bad thing.  

• Maleeka Madison- gets teased harshly because of her dark skin color.
• Charlese Jones (Char)- The antagonist of the story is one of Maleeka's biggest problems. She has money and uses it to manipulate Maleeka into doing things for her.  
• Miss Saunders- Maleeka's teacher, Miss Saunders teaches Maleeka that being different is not such a bad thing and shows Maleeka how to be confidant in her own skin. 
• John-John- Makes fun of Maleeka but the reason isn't what you would think. He thinks she doesn't like him. 
• Caleb- Maleeka's crush. Also the most popular guy in school. 
• Momma (Maleeka's mother)- Maleeka's loving mother. 

 Incorporate this book into the classroom: 

After reading the book The Skin I'm In, students will choose one of the main characters and write journal entries as this person. Students will pass their journals around and other students "characters" of the book with write in their journals. 

Text to Self Strategy-
Using quotes from the book can help students realize just how much they can relate to this book. While reading have the students choose a quote they would like to make their own. After they have chosen a quote have the students tell what they think about it. Why it effected them and how it made them feel.
Example:
“To look in the mirror and like what you see even if it's not your idea of beauty”    This quote to me helps students realize that if they are not happy about what they see when they look in the mirror they are the only people that can change that, and if they are not sure how they feel a little soul searching would be good to decide what they do see and to realize they can be happy in their own skin. 

Questions to ponder 

* Do you think that Maleeka and Char are really friends? Why or why not?
* How would you handle a bully like Char?

*How are Miss Saunders’s face and Maleeka’s insecurity about her color
related? What did Maleeka learn from Miss Saunders?