My Name Is Samim by Fidan Meikle

My Name Is Samim by Fidan Meikle

Winner of the Jhalak Children's & YA Prize 2026 -- Book of the Year by Writers of Colour in the UK and Ireland

Winner of the FCBG Children's Book Award 2026: Books for Older Readers

'Meikle's debut is a powerful story of resilience, adaptability and hope.'
-- The Guardian

My name is Samim.

I'm thirteen years and three months old, I love chess -- and I'm a refugee.

I was happy in Afghanistan, until the day bombs ripped my life apart. I escaped with my best friend Zayn, hoping to find safety in the UK. But the journey was dangerous and we lost so much along the way…

Now I'm here, trying to make new friends and a new home, but will the authorities let me stay? First, I must tell my story. Are you ready to hear it?

"An emotional but ultimately hopeful portrayal of a young refugee's life in the UK."
-- Neil Cowan, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL UK

Fidan Meikle is a stunning new voice in middle-grade fiction. Her wry, heartfelt and immersive writing will draw readers into Samim's world.

Discover Zayn's side of the story in the highly-anticipated follow-up, My Name Is Zayn.

'Meikle's debut is a powerful story of resilience, adaptability and hope'
-- The Guardian

'An emotional but ultimately hopeful portrayal of a young refugee's life in the UK; shining a light on the challenges that face so many.'
-- Amnesty International UK

'Samim is a fully-rounded character, giving a relatable face to the countless news reports. Beautifully descriptive as well as tightly paced, this novel is emotive and utterly engrossing... Moving, heart-breaking and ultimately uplifting, this is a topical, timely novel with a very important message.'
-- Children's Books Ireland

'Compelling and powerful, sitting alongside Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird or Boy, Everywhere by A. M. Dassu.'
-- Books for Topics

'A powerful, at times heartbreaking novel… This remarkable and deeply moving story conveys the reality of the experience of refugees and provides the reader with the opportunity to learn, to understand and to empathise… An impressive debut.'
-- Library Lady

'Honest, engaging and thought-provoking… a powerful story encouraging empathy by providing readers with a clearer idea of what being a refugee really means. It's a must-have for secondary school libraries.'
-- Kate Heap, Author and Literacy Leader

'Moving, insightful and well-researched, this is an exciting debut from a Scotland-dwelling Azerbaijani-British writer, linguist and translator.'
-- The Literacy Tree

'Extraordinary! Explores many layered threads of loss, memories, friendships and immigration.'
-- Teresa Cremin, Professor of Education at The Open University

Fidan Meikle is a multi-award-winning Azerbaijani-British writer, linguist and translator. Her debut middle-grade novel, My Name Is Samim, won the Jhalak Children's & YA Prize, the Federation of Children's Book Groups Children's Book Award, several regional awards and was included in the 2026 Read for Empathy Collection. My Name Is Samim and the companion novel, My Name Is Zayn, are inspired by the real-life stories of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in the UK. Fidan lives in West Lothian, Scotland.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781782509301
ISBN 10	1782509305
Title	My Name Is Samim
Author	Fidan Meikle
Series	Kelpies
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Floris Books
Year published	2025-05-22
Number of pages	296
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.