Even when placed in the regular classroom, Sahara continued to view herself as "dumb" and thus able to get by. Besides just Miss Pointy, Sahara grows personally with the assistance of numerous friends and other important individuals. One such character is Darrell Sikes, another inclusion-based special eduation student. Saraha is given the nickname Sahara Special because she spends time with a special needs teacher in the hall with the highly disruptive Darrell Sikes. Darrell is both similar to and different from Sahara. On the one hand, Darrell is probably truly in need of special education, whereas Sahara has a true love for reading and writing. At the same time, Darrell and Sahara share the common relation of being two individuals...

Because they are both placed in special education, both are prescribed a set of educational instruction that limits them from pursuing other areas of educational growth. This is why Darrell is given such an important role in the book, as a way of demonstrating the author's personal belief in the importance of full inclusion.
Finally, such characters as Rachel and Paris, in the regular education classroom, also develop Sahara, both negatively and positively. It is through her interactions with these individuals that Sahara better understands who she truly is.

Bibliography

Codell, Esme Raji. (2004): Sahara Special. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.