The Skin I'm In - Softcover

Flake, Sharon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1423103858 ISBN 13: 9781423103851

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH, 2007

Synopsis

 

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.

 

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?

About this title

About the Author

Sharon G. Flake has an international reputation as a top author for children and young adults. Her breakout novel, The Skin I'm In, established her as a must-read author among middle and high school students, parents, and educators. She has spoken to more than two hundred thousand young people, and hugged nearly as many. Flake has penned nine novels, numerous short stories, plays, and a picture book entitled You Are Not a Cat.

Her work has received numerous awards, such as the Coretta Scott King Honor award and the YWCA Racial Justice Award, and her books have been named to many prestigious lists, including Kirkus Review's Top Ten Books of the Year, Best Books for Young Adults by the American Library Association, Top Ten Books for the Teen Age by the New York Public Library, Top Twenty Recommended Books to Read by the Texas Library Association, 100 Books Every Teenage Girl Should Read, and Booklist Editor's Choice, among others. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more information, go to sharonflake.com, or follow her on Twitter @sharonflake.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Skin I'm in

By Sharon G. Flake

Jump at the Sun

Copyright © 2007 Sharon G. Flake
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9781423103851

Chapter One

THE FIRST TIME I SEEN HER, I got a bad feeling inside. Notlike I was in danger or nothing. Just like she wassomebody I should stay clear of. To tell the truth, shewas a freak like me. The kind of person folks can'thelp but tease. That's bad if you're a kid like me. It'sworse for a new teacher like her.

    Miss Saunders is as different as they come. Firstoff, she got a man's name, Michael. Now who everheard of a woman named that? She's tall and fat likenobody's business, and she's got the smallest feet Iever seen. Worse yet, she's got a giant white stainspread halfway across her face like somebody tossedacid on it or something.

    I try not to stare the first day that amazonwoman-teacher heads my way. See, I got a way ofattracting strange characters. They draw to me likesomeone stuck a note on my forehead saying, "loserswanted here." Well, I spend a lot of time trying to fitin here at McClenton Middle School. I ain't lettingnobody ruin it for me, especially no teacher.

    I didn't even look up when Miss Saunders cameup to me that day like I'm some kind of informationcenter.

    "Excuse me," she says. She's wearing a dark purplesuit, and a starched white shirt with matching purplebuttons. That outfit costs three hundred dollars,easy. "I'm trying to find the principal's office. I knowit's around here somewhere. Can you help me?"

    Before I catch myself, my eyes ricochet like pinballs, bounding from John-John McIntrye's beadybrown eyes right up to hers. I swallow hard. Stare ather till John-John whacks me on the arm with hisrolled-up comic book.

    "That-a-way," I say, pointing up the hall.

    "Thank you. Now what's your name?" she says,putting down her briefcase like she's gonna stay hereawhile.

    "Maleeka. Maleeka Madison?the third," I say,smacking my gum real loud.

    "Don't let that fancy name fool you," John-Johnbutts in. "She ain't nobody worth knowing."

    Miss Saunders stares down at him till he turns hishead away and starts playing with the buttons on hisshirt like some two-year-old.

    "Like I say, the office is that-a-way." I point.

    "Thank you," she says, walking off. Then shestops stone still, like some bright idea has just come toher, turns around, and heads back my way. My skinstarts to crawl before she even opens her mouth."Maleeka, your skin is pretty. Like a blue-black skyafter it's rained and rained," she says. Then she smilesand explains how that line comes from a favoritepoem of hers. Next thing I know, she's heading downthe hall again like nothing much happened.

    When she's far enough away, John-John says tome, "I don't see no pretty, just a whole lotta black."Before I can punch him good, he's singing a rap song."Maleeka, Maleeka?baboom, boom, boom, we surewanna keep her, baboom, boom, boom, but she soblack, baboom, boom, boom, we just can't see her."

    Before I know it, three more boys is pointing atme and singing that song, too. Me, I'm wishing thebuilding will collapse on top of me.

    John-John McIntyre is the smallest seventh graderin the world. Even fifth graders can see over his head.Sometimes I have a hard time believing he and me areboth thirteen. He's my color, but since second gradehe's been teasing me about being too black. Last year,when I thought things couldn't get no worse, he cameup with this here song. Now, here this woman comestalking that black stuff. Stirring him up again.

    Seems like people been teasing me all my life. If itain't about my color, it's my clothes. Momma makesthem by hand. They look it, too?lopsided pockets,stitching forever unraveling. I never know when a collar'sgonna fall off, or a pushpin gonna stick me andmake me holler out in class. I stopped worrying aboutthat this year now that Charlese lends me clothes towear. I stash them in the locker and change into thembefore first period. I'm like Superman when I getCharlese's clothes on. I got a new attitude, and myteachers sure don't like it none.

    It's bad enough that I'm the darkest, worse-dressedthing in school. I'm also the tallest, skinniestthing you ever seen. And people like John-Johnremind me of it every chance they get. They don't saynothing about the fact that I'm a math whiz, and canoutdo ninth graders when it comes to figuringnumbers. Or that I got a good memory and never forgetone single, solitary thing I read. They only seewhat they see, and they don't seem to like what theysee much.

    Up till now, I just took it. The name calling. Thepushing and shoving and cheating off me. Then lastweek something happened. I was walking down thehall in one of Char's dresses, strutting my stuff, lookinggood. Then Char walked up to me and told me totake off her clothes. There was maybe eight or ninekids around when she said it, too, including Caleb. Ithought she was kidding. She wasn't. So I went to thegirls' room and put my own stuff back on. That'swhen I made up my mind. Enough is enough. Ideserve better than for people to treat me any old waythey want. But saying that is one thing, making it happenis something else.

    So you see, I got my own troubles. I don't need noscar-faced teacher making things worse. But I got thisfeeling Miss Saunders is gonna mess things up for mereal bad.

Continues...

Excerpted from The Skin I'm inby Sharon G. Flake Copyright © 2007 by Sharon G. Flake. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1423103858
• ISBN 13: 9781423103851
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176