By Fidan Meikle (author) Part of the Kelpies series
"Equally exciting and moving, every young person should read this compelling adventure story"
Paperback In Stock £7.99 £7.19
View All Editions (1)
Equally exciting and moving, this compelling adventure story stars a young boy who is brave, loyal, determined and very funny. He’s also a refugee from Afghanistan, recently arrived in the UK by small boat.
Those who have read Fidan Meikle’s award-winning debut My Name is Samim will already know Zayn well; everyone else will be immediately taken by this lively boy, always ready with a joke or cheerful saying, no matter the situation.
Zayn and Samim were separated when the dinghy they were travelling in capsized in the English Channel and Zayn doesn’t know if Samim is alive or dead. Put in a hostel with other recently arrived migrants, he does his best to settle in while trying to track down his friend, and, a talented footballer, soon makes friends at his school.
The dangers he faced as a migrant are far from over, sadly, and while Zayn is too streetwise to be taken in by the leader of the local criminal gang, the boy he shares his room with isn’t. When Musa goes missing, Zayn is determined to save him, confronting again the cruelty, corruption, injustice and indifference that he encountered so often on his dangerous journey. He needs all the courage that helped him reach England and young readers will be urging him on.
In this story, Fidan Meikle again succeeds in creating characters we believe in and care deeply about and provides readers with the opportunity to understand and to see through the eyes of young people who have been through so much to find safety. It’s an exciting story, very well told and one every young person should read.
"I'll find you, Samim," I whispered again and again into the dark.
Read the full description
My name is Zayn and if I had to tell you my story, I’d begin with the day Death came for me, but I wasn’t ready to go.
Thirteen-year-old Zayn is a loyal friend, a gifted football player -- and a refugee.
Zayn endures a long, dangerous journey from war-torn Afghanistan with his best friend Samim, only to lose him when their dinghy sinks in the English Channel. Zayn arrives in the UK, alone, but convinced Samim is alive -- somewhere.
Sent to live in a hotel with other asylum seekers, Zayn starts to find small pieces of normal life -- he goes to school, joins the football team and is making friends. Then children begin disappearing from the hotel, including Zayn's roommate. When the police struggle to find them, Zayn feels he's the only one who can.
Hounded by a local gang, as well as demons from his past, Zayn finds hope and help in unlikely places. But can he find his missing friends, old and new, as well as the safe home he's been searching for?
Readers will root for quick-witted, brave Zayn in the highly anticipated follow-up to My Name is Samim (Jhalak Prize winner and part of the Read for Empathy collection). This uplifting story of resilience and friendship was inspired by the real-life stories of hundreds of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who went missing from UK hotels, until the High Court ruled it was unlawful to house them there. Fidan Meikle's writing is heartfelt, wry and evocative, allowing older middle-grade readers to see through the eyes of an often-invisible minority.
Praise for I Am Samim :
‘A powerful story of resilience, adaptability and hope.’– The Guardian
‘A heartfelt glimpse into refugee experiences. Poignant and lyrical.’ – Kirkus Reviews
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.
Brilliant Children's and YA Books to Read this Summer
Children's Books that raise awareness of Refugees and Asylum Seekers
the best books for teenagers
Brilliant Black British History
Ashley Hickson-Lovence
"I'll find you, Samim," I whispered again and again into the dark. My name is Zayn and if I had to tell you my story, I’d begin with the day Death came for me, but I wasn’t ready to go.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed My Name is Zayn and determined it is suitable for children aged 11-14 years old
My Name is Zayn features in the following genres: Featured Books for 11+ readers, Featured Books for 13+ readers, Recommendations, Stories about Family and Friends, Work / Industry, PSHE: Multiculturalism, Diversity and Inclusion, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Children’s / Teenage fiction: General, modern and contemporary fiction, Children’s / Teenage general interest: Law, police and crime, Children’s / Teenage social topics: Migration / refugees, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Runaways, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage: General interest, Children’s / Teenage: Social issues / topics
Paperback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
My Name is Zayn was written by Fidan Meikle and published by Floris Books
My Name is Zayn has 296 pages
Yes it is part of Kelpies series
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
©PTC International Ltd T/A LoveReading is registered in England. Company number: 10193437. VAT number: 270 4538 09. Registered address: 157 Shooters Hill, London, SE18 3HP. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer
The National Year of Reading starts here. Join thousands of families and schools supporting reading for pleasure across the UK.