The Skin I'm In: 20th Anniversary Edition by Sharon Flake

Winner of the Coretta Scott King award

Sharon Flake's award-winning, empowering debut novel follows one girl's struggle toward self acceptance, no matter what the world throws her way. Includes a foreword by bestselling, award-winning author Jason Reynolds!

Maleeka suffers every day from the taunts of the other kids in her class. If they're not getting at her about her homemade clothes or her good grades, it's about her dark, black skin. Maleeka does whatever she can to try and fit in and fly under the radar. But it's never enough.

When a new teacher, whose face is blotched with a startling white patch, starts at their school, Maleeka can see there is bound to be trouble for her too. But the new teacher's attitude surprises Maleeka. Miss Saunders loves the skin she's in. Can Maleeka learn to do the same?

★ "Flake's debut novel will hit home." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

Summary

The Skin I'm In is a realistic fiction novel written by Sharon G. Flake. It was published by Hyperion Books on January 3, 2000. It tells the story of seventh-grader Maleeka Madison who has low self-esteem because of her dark brown skin color.