Author: Sharon Flake
Type or emotional/crisis issue addressed: Bullying or Sexual Abuse
Year of Publication: 1998
Publisher and Location:New York : Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children
ISBN# 0786804440
Target Age Level: Junior High, High School
# of Pages: 171
Quality of Illustrations: None
Brief Summary: Maleeka is a 13yr old girl who gets teased a lot because she has very dark skin. In order to raise her status at school, she becomes friends with the school bully who is very mean to her, but also looks out for her. Her situation starts to change when a new teacher comes to school and challenges Maleeka to find out who she really is.
Personal Comments/Biases, and/or Things to Consider When Using This Book With Children: All of the main characters in the book are African-American, so it may be effective in helping students who are a racial minority identify with the characters in this book.
Activity: (1) One of the ways Maleeka is able to cope is by creating a story about a slave named Akeelma. Maleeka is able to work out a lot of her feelings and struggles through her writing. Have the students create their own story or have them add another entry to Maleeka's story. (2) Many of the characters in the book are bullies, victims, and bully-victims. Have the students identify the different situations and how the characters respond.
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