The Skin I'm In is a realistic fiction novel written by Sharon Flake. It depicts the story of seventh grader Maleeka Madison who has low self-esteem because of her dark skin color. Thirteen-year-old Maleeka Madison is tall, skinny, and dark-skinned. That's a problem for her, because it's such a problem for everyone else at school, it seems. Life for Maleeka just gets harder, until she learns to stand up for herself and love the skin she's in.