The Skin I'm In by Sharon G. Flake
Paperback
Young Adult
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?
“Before incredible movements and monikers like Black Girls Rock, Black Girl Magic, and Well-Read Black Girl, there was The Skin I’m In.” –Jason Reynolds
* "Flake's debut novel will hit home . . . echoes universal brink-of-adolescence concerns." –Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Funny and clever . . . will pull readers into a world too rarely represented in middle-grade fiction." –Booklist
"Young teens will appreciate Flake's authenticity." –School Library Journal