Book Summary
Characters
Maleeka Madison is a seventh grade student at McClenton Middle School. She is a soft
spoken young woman who is antagonized about her skin color. Being tall,
dark-skinned, and extremely intelligent, she does not know where
she fits in at school, in her neighborhood, or at home. She finds her voice during a writing
assignment in which she pretends to be Akeelma, an African slave.
Through Akeelma, Maleeka is able to journal her feelings and express herself honestly and without judgment from others.
Charlese Jones is a bully who finds great joy in making Maleeka feel worse about herself. This is Char’s third time in the seventh grade and she depends on Maleeka to complete her class work in order to pass. Char has more problems than Maleeka; her older sister, JuJu, is raising her in an environment that is dangerous – drugs, alcohol, and shoplifting. She finds it easy to make Maleeka her target because she will not defend herself or speak up for herself. Charlese actually needs Maleeka, because she knows if her grades are not better and she keeps getting in trouble, her sister will send her to live with other relatives.
Raina and Raise - Twins that are in Char's clique.
Miss Saunders is a corporate executive in a program that allows her to teach for one year in an urban school. She has a large birthmark on her face, which has brought on its own share of stares and criticism. She has turned her face into her strength to make it through college and the corporate world and she wants to help Maleeka. Miss Saunders wants Maleeka to reach her full potential as a student and as a person. She helps Maleeka find her inner strength.
John-John McIntyre is another one of Maleeka’s tormentors. He and Maleeka have been attending school together since kindergarten and live in the same neighborhood. He is the smallest seventh grader according to Maleeka, but he manages to make her feel “small” with his taunting Maleeka song. Even though, he torments Maleeka, she comes to his rescue during an altercation in the neighborhood. The truth of the matter is that John-John likes her, but doesn’t want to be embarrassed or let Maleeka know how he feels about her.
Caleb Jamaal Asaam is a student at McClenton Middle School that likes Maleeka. He is involved in school activities and does not follow the other students during their teasing of Maleeka. Though he does not include himself, he also does not stop them from embarrassing Maleeka. He really likes Maleeka and finds that he should follow what he wants and not allow his classmates to decide for him. He eventually writes a very beautiful poem for Maleeka about how sweet she is.
To Maleeka: My sweet dark chocolate candy girl
Would you be my Almond Joy
My Chocolate chip, my Hershey Kiss
My sweet dark chocolate butter crisp?
Hand and hand we’d walk to class
And sit and talk in sweet green grass.
Rollar coaster way up high,
Pick moonbeams from out the sky.
Would you be my Almond Joy
My chocolate chip, my Hershey Kiss
My sweet dark chocolate butter crisp?
Charlese Jones is a bully who finds great joy in making Maleeka feel worse about herself. This is Char’s third time in the seventh grade and she depends on Maleeka to complete her class work in order to pass. Char has more problems than Maleeka; her older sister, JuJu, is raising her in an environment that is dangerous – drugs, alcohol, and shoplifting. She finds it easy to make Maleeka her target because she will not defend herself or speak up for herself. Charlese actually needs Maleeka, because she knows if her grades are not better and she keeps getting in trouble, her sister will send her to live with other relatives.
Raina and Raise - Twins that are in Char's clique.
Miss Saunders is a corporate executive in a program that allows her to teach for one year in an urban school. She has a large birthmark on her face, which has brought on its own share of stares and criticism. She has turned her face into her strength to make it through college and the corporate world and she wants to help Maleeka. Miss Saunders wants Maleeka to reach her full potential as a student and as a person. She helps Maleeka find her inner strength.
John-John McIntyre is another one of Maleeka’s tormentors. He and Maleeka have been attending school together since kindergarten and live in the same neighborhood. He is the smallest seventh grader according to Maleeka, but he manages to make her feel “small” with his taunting Maleeka song. Even though, he torments Maleeka, she comes to his rescue during an altercation in the neighborhood. The truth of the matter is that John-John likes her, but doesn’t want to be embarrassed or let Maleeka know how he feels about her.
Caleb Jamaal Asaam is a student at McClenton Middle School that likes Maleeka. He is involved in school activities and does not follow the other students during their teasing of Maleeka. Though he does not include himself, he also does not stop them from embarrassing Maleeka. He really likes Maleeka and finds that he should follow what he wants and not allow his classmates to decide for him. He eventually writes a very beautiful poem for Maleeka about how sweet she is.
To Maleeka: My sweet dark chocolate candy girl
Would you be my Almond Joy
My Chocolate chip, my Hershey Kiss
My sweet dark chocolate butter crisp?
Hand and hand we’d walk to class
And sit and talk in sweet green grass.
Rollar coaster way up high,
Pick moonbeams from out the sky.
Would you be my Almond Joy
My chocolate chip, my Hershey Kiss
My sweet dark chocolate butter crisp?
Book Summary
Maleeka's life and world have been turned upside by the recent and untimely
death of her father. Her father was her
biggest supporter and always made her feel loved and beautiful. Maleeka believes that
she does not have a support system since her father’s death. Unfortunately,
Maleeka’s mother is dealing with the death of her husband by sewing clothes. This only adds to Maleeka's difficult
situation at school because her classmates know her clothes are
being sewn and it is not a good job - her mother is not a very good seamstress. Her mother does not see the pain in her
daughter’s face or realize what pain this causes her daughter at school.
Maleeka wants to be liked by her fellow students, but most of the time she is the butt of many, nasty jokes about the dark color of her skin. Other students copy from her papers, so she decides to turn this situation around by telling the meanest girl in school, Charlese, that she will do her homework for her. Maleeka knows that as long as she “hangs” with Char and her clique, no one will mess with her. This “protection plan” brings more pain and insults for Maleeka to endure from Char.
Along with this protection, Char has been bringing clothes for Maleeka to wear at school because she has to look cool in order to hang with Char. The clothes are the latest styles; they are expensive and look good on Maleeka. However, Char is also jealous of Maleeka and any attention given to Maleeka will cause Char to embarrass her.
Miss Saunders arrives and turns their lives upside down. She is a no nonsense woman and demands respect from the students. She stops students from kissing in the hall and catches them smoking in the bathroom. Miss Saunders recognizes the struggles Maleeka is experiencing in school and with her classmates and encourages her to believe in her talents and not to allow people like Char to dictate her life.
Miss Saunders continues to make her presence felt and known in the school and teachers, along with the students, do not like her. Miss Saunders is attempting to push the students beyond what is expected in order to recognize their highest potential. She becomes a silent advocate for Maleeka and tries to show her that she can stand up for herself. Unbeknownst to Maleeka, she is slowly standing up to Char, by not completing her homework and talking back to her.
Besides Miss Saunders, the only other person who sees Maleeka for the beautiful person she truly is is Caleb. Caleb is different from all the students in that he enjoys being different, he has dreadlocks, and he cleaned the boy’s bathroom without being told. He writes poetry, is involved in the community and he likes Maleeka. He apologizes to her for not standing up for her in the past. He warns her to stop hanging with Char, that no good will come from it.
Char and the twins decide it is time for Miss Saunders to leave the school. She has caused trouble for Char at home; and no one gets Char in trouble and gets away with it. They plan to meet at school early in the morning to destroy the classroom. When they girls arrive, the room is decorated like inside of a harem because they will be reading Ali Baba and The Forty Thieves. They take items from Miss Saunders’ desk and glue her grade book together and destroy the decorations. Finally, Char gives Maleeka a lighter to set fire to some foreign money and threatens to jack her up. Maleeka tries standing up to Char, but ends up setting the money on fire, which catches onto the curtains, and the girls run for it. Maleeka is the last one out of the classroom and takes the blame for all the vandalism.
Miss Saunders knows that Maleeka did not destroy the room by herself and asks Maleeka to trust her with the truth, but Maleeka does not tell on Char and the twins. The next day, Miss Saunders tries to get Char to confess, but she denies she had anything to do with it. Nervous about what Maleeka will say, Char begins to insult and threaten Maleeka in front of Miss Saunders. Maleeka feels strength with Miss Saunders’ arm around her, and she tells the truth. She finally decided to stand up for herself no matter what the consequences were. In the end, her one true friend stayed her friend – Caleb.
Maleeka wants to be liked by her fellow students, but most of the time she is the butt of many, nasty jokes about the dark color of her skin. Other students copy from her papers, so she decides to turn this situation around by telling the meanest girl in school, Charlese, that she will do her homework for her. Maleeka knows that as long as she “hangs” with Char and her clique, no one will mess with her. This “protection plan” brings more pain and insults for Maleeka to endure from Char.
Along with this protection, Char has been bringing clothes for Maleeka to wear at school because she has to look cool in order to hang with Char. The clothes are the latest styles; they are expensive and look good on Maleeka. However, Char is also jealous of Maleeka and any attention given to Maleeka will cause Char to embarrass her.
Miss Saunders arrives and turns their lives upside down. She is a no nonsense woman and demands respect from the students. She stops students from kissing in the hall and catches them smoking in the bathroom. Miss Saunders recognizes the struggles Maleeka is experiencing in school and with her classmates and encourages her to believe in her talents and not to allow people like Char to dictate her life.
Miss Saunders continues to make her presence felt and known in the school and teachers, along with the students, do not like her. Miss Saunders is attempting to push the students beyond what is expected in order to recognize their highest potential. She becomes a silent advocate for Maleeka and tries to show her that she can stand up for herself. Unbeknownst to Maleeka, she is slowly standing up to Char, by not completing her homework and talking back to her.
Besides Miss Saunders, the only other person who sees Maleeka for the beautiful person she truly is is Caleb. Caleb is different from all the students in that he enjoys being different, he has dreadlocks, and he cleaned the boy’s bathroom without being told. He writes poetry, is involved in the community and he likes Maleeka. He apologizes to her for not standing up for her in the past. He warns her to stop hanging with Char, that no good will come from it.
Char and the twins decide it is time for Miss Saunders to leave the school. She has caused trouble for Char at home; and no one gets Char in trouble and gets away with it. They plan to meet at school early in the morning to destroy the classroom. When they girls arrive, the room is decorated like inside of a harem because they will be reading Ali Baba and The Forty Thieves. They take items from Miss Saunders’ desk and glue her grade book together and destroy the decorations. Finally, Char gives Maleeka a lighter to set fire to some foreign money and threatens to jack her up. Maleeka tries standing up to Char, but ends up setting the money on fire, which catches onto the curtains, and the girls run for it. Maleeka is the last one out of the classroom and takes the blame for all the vandalism.
Miss Saunders knows that Maleeka did not destroy the room by herself and asks Maleeka to trust her with the truth, but Maleeka does not tell on Char and the twins. The next day, Miss Saunders tries to get Char to confess, but she denies she had anything to do with it. Nervous about what Maleeka will say, Char begins to insult and threaten Maleeka in front of Miss Saunders. Maleeka feels strength with Miss Saunders’ arm around her, and she tells the truth. She finally decided to stand up for herself no matter what the consequences were. In the end, her one true friend stayed her friend – Caleb.
