The Skin I'm In

Title: The Skin I’m In
Author: Sharon G Flake
Publisher: scholastic Inc
Place and year publication: 555 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, 1998
Number of pages: 170
Where you got this book: CHS library

STORY REVIEW
This book is the story of a seventh grader named Maleeka. Maleeka has very dark black skin. She used to be proud of it, but when her father died, kids started picking on her. Char, the most popular girl in the grade, makes a deal with Maleeka that if she does her homework, Char will stick up for her, and Maleeka can hang out with her. A new teacher arrives, Miss Saunders. She too gets made fun of because she has a big blotch on her face, which is a birth mark.

Every morning Char, Maleeka, and the twins Raina and Raise hung out in the bathroom. They smoked, did drugs, and gave Maleeka clothes, all before class started. All the girls at some point went into the bathrooms to smoke and do drugs. It came to a point where the principal didn't like it, so he took down all the stall doors and walls, but that didn’t stop them. Maleeka goes along with Char, and gets in trouble. Maleeka ends up having to work in the office. A boy named Caleb started liking Maleeka, but then he stops talking to her because everyone is making fun of them.

One day, Miss Saunders makes Char really mad, so Char drags Maleeka along and they go to the school, up to Miss Saunders’ class room. Char makes Maleeka light the room on fire and runs away, leaving poor Maleeka to get caught. Maleeka takes the blame at first, but then tells on Char. In the end, Maleeka and Caleb are back together and Maleeka is friends with Miss Saunders. Also, Char gets expelled and sent to a new school.

MY THOUGHTS
Even though I don’t like reading fiction, I really enjoyed this book. This is the best book that was fiction I’ve ever read! This book would be for someone who’s been insulted hurt because what race, religion, belief, strengths or weaknesses. At the beginning Maleeka was ashamed about her colour but that just brought her down. I’m black and I really am proud of it. This book related to me very much and would have been useful for my middle years, but it really shows that it doesn’t matter the way you look or dress we are all the same. Everybody has flaws, so there is no need of making fun of someone else’s when you have another type of flaw.

CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
1 Peter 4:14 says... If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of God rests on you. You can fill in the words underlined with anything else that you are insulted by. If the Spirit of God lives in you then it doesn’t matter what people say on the outside because the inside of you are gorgeous. Maleeka isn’t what the people around make her to be, you decide if you are going to believe what people say, or be who you really are. How you live in the real world should reflect who you are inside, and Jesus lives inside of us who believe in him, so we should be showing Christ like behaviour!