Middle school can be rough, especially when you're the least bit different. Imagine being Maleeka, the tallest, darkest, skinniest, worst dressed girl in the school. Everyone seems to have it in for her, except for maybe Caleb, a boy who sends mixed signals. A boy she can trust?
She feels like she doesn't need help, especially not from the new teacher, Mrs. Saunders. As the story progresses, Maleeka figures out that this teacher's different. Mrs. Saunders points out Maleeka's gift at writing and convinces her to start a journal. She writes about a girl like herself and starts to really connect with her character. Sometimes she can't tell where her character's feelings end, and her own begin.
I liked how it reiterates throughout the book how important it is to know who your true friends are. Instead of showing you what will happen when you do choose wisely, it shows what could happen if you don't, and what trouble it can get you in. All she's trying to do is find her way through all the taunting and teasing, and be comfortable in the skin she's in.