The Skin I'm In

by Sharon G. Flake

Maleeka Madison is a strong student who has had enough of being teased about her "too black" skin and handmade clothes. So when she starts seventh grade, she decides to adopt a sassier attitude and a tougher circle of friends. The last thing she expects is to get "messed up" with another "freak," but that's exactly what happens.

After a new teacher, whose face is disfigured from a skin disease, enters her life, will Maleeka be able to learn to love the skin she's in?

Winner of the 1999 Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for new authors.

Ages: 14, 15, 16, 17, 18
Interest Level: Grades 9 - 12
Grade Level Equivalent: 9.1
Lexile Measure: 670L
Guided Reading: NR
Publisher: Tandem Library
Genre: Realistic Fiction

About the Author

Sharon G. Flake Sharon G. Flake exploded onto the literary scene with her novel The Skin I'm In, in 1998, and was named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start. Since then she has become a multiple Coretta Scott King Author Honor Award winner and has been hailed as the voice of middle-grade youth and a Rising Star by The Bulletin of the Center for Childrenâ€™s Books.