The Skin I'm In

The Skin I’m In is a 1998 middle-grade novel by American author Sharon G. Flake. A Coretta Scott King Honor Book, The Skin I’m In follows 13-year-old Maleeka Madison III and her struggle with self-confidence while being bullied for her dark complexion. Guided by the new and unusual English teacher, Miss Saunders, Maleeka hones her talent for creative writing and develops self-love. The text explores such themes as bullying, poverty, grief, and beauty standards. This study guide cites the Little, Brown and Company eBook edition of the novel.

Plot Summary

The Skin I’m In begins on the day Maleeka meets Miss Saunders, the new English teacher at McClenton Middle School. Miss Saunders compliments Maleeka’s complexion, although Maleeka is often bullied for her dark skin as well her poorly made clothes and socioeconomic status. Maleeka, who considers herself a “freak,” also thinks Miss Saunders is a “freak” because she has a white birthmark across her face. Maleeka decides to avoid Miss Saunders, believing the teacher’s friendship will only attract more bullying. Later, Maleeka tries to skip fifth period and sees Miss Saunders scolding two students, Charlese and Worm, for kissing in the hallway. Charlese curses Miss Saunders out, but Miss Saunders sends her, Worm, and Maleeka back to class.

The year before, Maleeka dated Caleb Jamaal Assam, but he left her when he saw how much others teased her. After that, the bullying worsened, and Maleeka made a deal with Charlese: Maleeka does Charlese’s homework, and Charlese allows her to hang out with Charlese’s friend group (consisting of Raina and Raise, who are twins). This offers Maleeka some protection from bullying. Additionally, while Charlese now tolerates Maleeka’s company, she refuses to be seen with someone dressed as poorly as Maleeka—so she lends Maleeka nicer clothes.

The next time Maleeka has English class, the students are responding to a prompt: “What does your face say to the world?” Maleeka feels like Miss Saunders has already embarrassed her in the short time she’s been teaching, so she raises her hand and says Miss Saunders’s face says she is a “freak.” Miss Saunders explains she has grown to accept herself. The students ask her more about herself, and she shares that she used to work at an advertising agency but is considering switching careers to be a full-time teacher.

The next day in English class, the students are instructed to write a fictional diary entry, or letter, from the perspective of a 17th-century teenager. Maleeka adopts the persona of an enslaved African girl named Akeelma, and when Miss Saunders reads aloud some of the students’ writing, she says Maleeka’s is the best. Later, Maleeka bumps into her classmate Daphne, who falsely accuses her of kissing her boyfriend, Worm. The two girls get into a fight that leaves Maleeka bloody and swollen. Maleeka resents Miss Saunders for intervening. Momma grounds Maleeka and conspires with Miss Saunders and Principal Pajolli to give Maleeka a job in the school office, believing the job will protect Maleeka’s academic potential. In the office, Maleeka overhears teachers complaining about Miss Saunders; they dislike how she does things differently and makes her students read so much.

One day, Maleeka’s best friend, Sweets, is over. While Sweets is on the phone, Maleeka looks at herself in a mirror and decides to get a very short haircut. At the salon, she loves how the new style looks, and all the ladies compliment her—but at school, the kids call her “peanut head,” and Maleeka is discouraged. However, after looking again in the hand mirror her Daddy gave her before he died, she feels new confidence. The next day, Maleeka wakes up late for school and joins her Momma for breakfast. Momma copes with Daddy’s death by sewing clothes, and she deals with their poverty by always searching for new ways to get rich. People in the neighborhood think Momma is eccentric, but they know she has a big heart. 

At lunch, Charlese is rude to the lunch lady, Miss Brown, so Miss Brown retaliates by messing up Charlese’s lunch. After Charlese forces Maleeka to get her a new lunch, Maleeka goes to sit elsewhere. Caleb approaches and tells Maleeka he wants to talk, but Maleeka refuses and busies herself with something else. 

Maleeka has been writing more letters from the perspective of Akeelma. On her way to English class, she bumps into her classmate and primary bully, John-John, and asks him why he always teases her. From their conversation, Maleeka realizes that John-John is holding a grudge from a years-old misunderstanding; she tries to clear things up, but he refuses to believe her side of the story. She also gets the feeling he’s jealous about something but can’t figure out what exactly. Miss Saunders arrives to class late and teaches Romeo and Juliet. The students discuss whether they would love someone enough to die for them. One student says it sounds romantic for someone to feel they can’t live without another person, but Maleeka disagrees and shares with the class how difficult it was for her and Momma when Daddy died. 

Maleeka tries to skip office work, but Miss Saunders finds her and walks her to the office. Maleeka observes Miss Saunders’s designer clothes and asks why she is at McClenton Middle School. Miss Saunders explains that her old career was too intense, and she enjoys teaching. In the office, Maleeka overhears that teachers and parents have been complaining about Miss Saunders working the students too hard.

Maleeka stays up late working on her Akeelma letters. The next day, when she visits Charlese to see some new clothes her big sister Juju bought her, she learns Juju has been hosting a rowdy party since the night before. Charlese is exhausted because she was up all night working as a server for the party. Maleeka walks home and is attacked by two boys on the street. She fights back and eventually makes it home, but she is upset. Over the next month, she isolates herself and writes more. Miss Saunders likes Maleeka’s creative writing, but Charlese and the twins think Maleeka is corny. One day, the girls are hanging out in the bathroom; Charlese is smoking, and—to Maleeka’s dismay—she uses her lighter to burn one of Maleeka’s Akeelma stories. She then takes a marker and writes her name in big letters on the bathroom wall. Suddenly, Miss Saunders bursts in and gives them detention. 

Caleb is also in detention with Maleeka. He apologizes for breaking up with her a year ago; he explains that he thought people were teasing her because of him, so he left her. He now expresses that he still likes her. She likes him too but has trouble forgiving him. Later, Maleeka goes to meet Miss Saunders in the auditorium but overhears her talking with another teacher about her difficult childhood. Then, Miss Saunders and the other teacher catch Maleeka eavesdropping. After school another day, Miss Saunders and Maleeka discuss the Akeelma letters. Miss Saunders expresses concern that Maleeka will share what she overheard, but Maleeka promises not to. 

Maleeka signs up for a writing contest in the library and spends the night writing more, planning to submit her Akeelma story. Momma tells Maleeka that her Daddy was a writer too, and Maleeka finds an old poem he wrote for her. Later, Maleeka is working in the school office when Juju bursts in demanding to see Miss Saunders and complaining about Charlese’s grades. Miss Saunders explains that Charlese has been underperforming—but this enrages Charlese, who later drags Maleeka into her revenge plot with Raina and Raise. Charlese decides to destroy Miss Saunders’s newly decorated classroom; Maleeka feels helpless to protest, so she goes along with it. Early the next morning, they sneak into the school and execute the plan. During the process of vandalism, however, they accidentally set the classroom on fire. The girls all flee, but Maleeka is the only one spotted. Maleeka is suspended. Charlese insists that Maleeka not reveal the other girls’ involvement.

Maleeka is stuck suspended at home, so Momma sends her out to get groceries. She bumps into John-John, who starts taunting her, but suddenly three boys jump out to assault him because they say he got them in trouble with the law. Maleeka grabs a branch and defends John-John until adults come to break up the fight. Later that day, she learns that she won the writing contest. She decides she must tell the school authorities about the other girls’ involvement in the classroom vandalism, but when she informs Charlese that she’s going to do so, Charlese pushes back: She says she planted Miss Saunders’s stolen watch in Maleeka’s locker to frame her. Later, Miss Saunders stops by Maleeka’s house because there have been rumors that Charlese was involved in the incident. Afraid, Maleeka denies the rumors. The next day, Miss Saunders has Maleeka and Charlese meet in her classroom. Finally, Maleeka confesses everything. 

Raina and Raise are suspended, and Charlese moves to live with her grandparents in Alabama. Maleeka’s office job and her suspension are now over. Caleb writes her a poem asking her to be his girl, and she agrees. He walks her to Miss Saunders’s class, which is currently being held in the detention room while repairs are being made. As she walks into class, John-John welcomes her back.