What is the setting of The Skin I'm In by Sharon Flake?

In any work of literature, the setting is an important
element of the story which helps to set the scene and establish the mood and atmosphere
around which characters develop and the plot progresses. The setting includes not only
the physical location or place but the time period and the social context in which it
takes place. Understanding the impact of these factors on the characters makes the story
believable and improves the flow. 

In The Skin
I'm In by Sharon Flake, Maleeka Madison is a seventh-grade student who is
coming to terms with her own identity and with how others see her. She struggles to
separate herself from certain opinions which then dominate her belief in herself and
confound her attempts to have a positive self-image. The book was published in 2000 but
the difficulties Maleeka has with establishing her identity are relevant to any time
period and give the book its universal appeal. 

McClenton
Middle School is the name of Maleeka's school, and, in terms of the social context, it
becomes clear from various interactions throughout the story that most of the students
are African-American, living in an urban area, a bus trip away from Washington D.C.
which the reader knows because it was on a trip to Washington D.C. when Caleb did not
step in to stop the other children teasing Maleeka. Maleeka's mother makes Maleeka's
clothes and Maleeka dislikes this because she stands out as being
poor.

Caleb is different from the other boys and sees
something special in Maleeka. The reader also knows that Caleb and his father volunteer
at a local homeless shelter at weekends and that there is an old-age home. This reveals
a community atmosphere in terms of the setting.