My Name is Samim

by Fidan Meikle

"I must make it. I will make it. And I will tell their stories."

Thirteen-year-old Samim is a loyal friend, a gifted chess player—and a refugee. After his family is killed in a bombing, Samim makes a long, dangerous journey from Afghanistan to the UK. But even then his safety isn't Samim must tell his story to convince the authorities to let him stay for good.

Samim relives the perils he faced and remembers the many friends he made and lost—the intrepid girl who dressed as a boy for safety, the courageous grandmother seeking a new home for her nine grandchildren, and especially his funny, spirited best friend Zayn.

With his past never forgotten, Samim begins to build a new life in the starting school and making new friends. But he also faces bigoted bullies and an uncertain future. Will Samim be granted asylum and allowed to stay in his new home?

My Name is Samim is a heartbreaking yet hopeful story of courage, resilience, and friendship. Highlighting the experiences of young refugees and asylum-seekers, listeners will empathise with Samim as he strives for a safe home and a better future.

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

Genres: Middle Grade

Unknown Binding

Reviews

[em · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
A timely book, perhaps now more than ever. I finished this in one sitting because I needed to know what was going to happen to Samim. My heart broke as he recounted his story, and then broke again when I remembered that this is life for so many refugees. Samim represents so many children who are orphaned and forgotten, and turned away at every door. This book shines a light on such an important topic and does so with no hidden meanings or agendas. While it might be aimed at younger audiences, I think some adults could do with reading a book that forces you to have humanity. Beautiful and heartbreaking.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publishers for kindly providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #MyNameIsSamim #Edelweiss. All opinions are my own.

[Emily Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for work.

4.5 stars. Beautiful and heartbreaking and such a timely read. My heart broke for Samim as he recounted his story as an orphaned refugee, making the harrowing journey to seek asylum in the UK. I would have given it 5 stars but i had to knock a half off for the ghost Zayn character which I just couldn't get on with (although I understand why from the ending). An important read for anyone right now especially those that think that coming to the UK is the easy option. Be prepared to cry but also be hugely moved by this.

[Nix Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no experience of refugees, but this story felt totally authentic. Samim is safe in the UK but tells his story through interviews for his asylum application. It is a totally engrossing story of a child losing everything he loved and embarking on a dangerous journey to safety. There is the whole gamut of humanity on display, from generosity and kindness to ruthless exploitation. There is no sentimentality, but it is full of hope. You will be rooting for Samim.

[Rachael Salmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book exploring themes of equality, prejudice, racism, friendship, hope and love. It had me laughing out loud and weeping in turn.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book, exploring so many important issues

[Leesdromen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, I …. , I’m lost for words, this book is SO good, and with all that’s going on in the world I wished that this book would be read by everyone and anyone in the world!


If theirs one book you read, make it this one, I can’t CANT find enough words to describe its importance and need for it!

“ Maths and grammar don’t stop these men from starting wars. Maybe they should teach kindness in schools, teach people how to love together and get along instead of tearing each other apart”

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Light in the Dark: Samim’s Story Will Stay With You Forever

In a world where values like humanity, kindness, and empathy are too often pushed aside, “My Name is Samim” shines like a lighthouse in the dark—a story that calls us back to what truly matters.

Samim is a refugee. A child forced to leave everything behind—his home, his safety, even the people he loves most—because war gave him no choice. And yet, what stays with you most isn’t just what he’s lost, but what he holds onto: hope, humour, loyalty, and a heart wide enough to carry others.
If you want your children to grow up with open hearts and strong values, get them this book. Let them walk in Samim’s shoes, even for just a few pages. Let them learn that bravery isn't always loud—it’s sometimes a quiet boy carrying hope across a continent. Let them see that kindness can come in the form of a shared blanket, a held hand, a voice that says, “You’re not alone.”
And if you're reading for yourself, prepare to be changed. This book made me laugh out loud, and then weep with the kind of tears that come not just from sadness, but from awe. Awe at the strength of a child who has lost almost everything—but still manages to smile, still chooses to care, still believes in the goodness of people.
There’s a moment in the book—just a few lines—that broke me. It reminded me how often we overlook the quiet suffering of others, and how desperately the world needs more tenderness. Samim’s journey is not just one of survival, but of extraordinary love—for his friends, his family and for life itself.
This is more than a story. It’s a mirror. It’s a call. And it’s a gift I’ll carry with me for a long, long time.

[Sam Baillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strikingly written and beautifully told, Fidan Meikle’s debut novel ‘My Name is Samim’ is a modern masterpiece that will not be forgotten.

For all that Samim sets out to achieve, my most immediate learnings come from aspects of the refugee experience that I was completely unaware of. Whilst the heartbreaking coverage of the Calais-Dover crossing has been prominently reported in the UK, and sadly gawked at by reporters (“I wondered how many hopefully souls it oversaw drowning here.” p.24), other aspects introduced to the book were entirely new to me. Early in the story, protagonist Samim and other fellow Afghans are sold into modern slavery early on in their refugee journey. The group need a safe, hidden area and is thus exploited with the threat of starvation held above their head in exchange for their labour. As Meikle writes: “It was a crooked deal for the Afghans, but the thirsty camel will drink from a puddle” (p.50)

One particularly haunting section of the book sees a group of refugees, including an old woman, rolled into carpets in order to reach the French coast incognito via lorry - a thought which has stuck with me like the sweat to their shirts as they pass out from exhaustion. Samim is understandably a dark read, as Samim opines in the second sentence of the book, “The dead have nothing to worry about. The worst thing that can happen to them has already happened” (p.7). These reflections are important to understand the sacrifices that refugees make to reach the promised land, but Meikle’s keen to use this horror to emphasize their bravery and resilience, rather than it becoming misery porn. One character, whose fate is all but sealed due to circumstance, tells the group, “And just like stars, we shine brightest in the darkness” (p. 60)

I enjoyed Fidan Meikle’s observations around death and sacrifice in particular. Characters in Samim are often faced with having to achieve spiritual contentment as their physical bodies are corroded by circumstance. In a world where happiness and safety are not an opinion, characters reach out to find meaning when faced with the bottom of the abyss. “Those who have no choice walk a different path from everyone else.” (p. 108). Again, this makes us feel respectful of their sacrifice rather than simply sorry for them, although I also shed a few tears.

The novel is so tightly edited, too, with not a single sentence going to waste. An approach Fidan uses to achieve this is by stating only what needs to be known. Samim entering a room “smelling of wet clothes”, for instance, is a much more effective means of immersing the reader into the environment, while also putting us in the mind of a child, than simply stating there was damp. A brief comment about the ‘foolish yellow sponge’ on TV reinforces that Samim feels like they’re in an unfamiliar world, while respecting the reader enough to understand clearly what is referred to. When reading a book ostensibly for younger adults and children, there’s a fear that the author will spell everything out to you, on most occasions, wasting your time. Fidan avoids these pitfalls by respecting the reader’s ability to connect the dots, while also making a point about the characters themselves.

Fidan draws out a few moral hypocracies but stops short of outright judgment at times. For example, the novel opens with Samim observing the tattoo of an angel on the shoulder of a home office guard. This subtle observation asks us: do people on the other side of oppression simply ignore their moral qualms, or do they feel forced into their situation due to circumstance? Do they, potentially, even think what they’re doing is good? Meikle invites the reader to make their own judgements.

If I had to find a flaw in this masterpiece, I would say that the occasional crude joke didn’t land for me. Even as a child, I cringed at anything related to toilet humour, and so these occasional references in the book - undoubtedly inserted with a nod to an audience less decrepit than me - did cause an eye-roll. I may need to reluctantly concede that younger children are allowed to poke fun at these parts of life, regardless of what I think.

‘My Name is Samim’ is written to near perfection. I was hanging from every word, and great pacing made it the fastest book I’ve ever read (for those of us with busy lives, thanks for the short chapters!). In a land of death and destruction, Meikle finds kindness, meaning and love in every chapter. And that, we need more of.

“It’s not new, but has plenty of life left in it,” she says about the bag. I liked the phrase. It makes the backpack sound alive and very much like me. A little worn, but with plenty of life left inside.” (p. 40)

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

In 2019, Samim is ten and living in Ghanzni Province, Afghanistan. His father is a pharmacist, and his mother is a teacher. The family, who are Hazara Muslims, are worried about both the Taliban and the US bombings. When Samim's house is destroyed in a bombing and his family is killed, he is left with only his best friend Zayn and his Uncle Roshan. In alternating timelines, we see how Samim leaves Afghanistan, but also how he is settling in to life in the UK under the care of Miss Brown in a foster home. We find out early in the book that Zayn has died en route, and that Samim takes great comfort in talking to his ghost. While life in the UK is difficult, and Samim must recount his journey for Mr. Higgins to help with his asylum petition, it is nothing compared to the rigors of his trek out of Afghanistan. After working in a factory with his uncle, the trio sets off for the UK because another uncle lives there. Samim finds out that his family was targeted because his parents were helping the US, but got no protections. Zayn and Samim lose contact with Uncle Roshan, but end up in a good situation in Italy, where they are welcome to stay with Auntie Amina, who has helped them get there along with many of her grandchildren, although Darya (who has been masquerading as a boy) drowns on the voyage, devastating the boys. Zayn wants to stay, but Samim feels he needs to find his uncle and honor Darya's memory. The boys are put on the bus to Paris as art students, and make it to Calais. Things go badly wrong, but Samim eventually reaches the UK, and after a long time in a displacement facility (he is mistaken for being older because he is tall), ends up in foster care. There, he does well at playing chess, and is invited to play in the London Jr. Championships, which puts him in a position to be badly bullied by Max, who hates immigrants. Samim's asylum is denied, but fellow foster kids Rita and Ayan plan a protest at school. Samim rescues Max from nearly drowning, and eventually wins his appeal and is able to stay. There is also a sweet surprise at the end of the book concerning the fate of one of Samim's friends which might lead to another book.

The format of Samim having to give an interview about his experiencing works well, and the reader is able to digest his horrible experience in smaller chunks, which are interspersed with what life is like for Samim in his new home. While life in the UK has its problems, they pale in comparison to the horrible treatment he experiences on his treacherous journey. Children like Max, who might not understand why refugees are in their country and the journeys they had to get there, will benefit from seeing the sorts of situations that their classmates might have lived through, and be more empathetic as a result.

Kelpies is a Scottish press that has turned out such interesting titles as Ice Cream Boy. Their books are available in the US, but are generally only in paperback or e book editions.

I wish all of my students would read books about the refugee experience in order to be more understanding of people who don't have the same background that they do. My Name is Samim is a great book to add to a list of books about different immigrant experiences like Athaide's Wings to Soar, Dassu's Boy Everywhere, Jamieson and Mohamed's When Stars are Scattered, Anta and Salcedo's Frontera, Senzai's Escape from Aleppo, and Dobbs' The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna.

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very emotional book, showing the worst and best of humanity. A vital story to be told.

Samim’s life is upended in a terrible way by the Taliban and he must embark upon a journey full of terror and loss on the off-chance of survival. His tale is devastating and representative of the experiences of so many (child) refugees.

It is incredibly important to tell the stories of refugees, to build understanding and empathy and to challenge other unfair politically-motivated narratives. These stories are often full of danger, violence and tragedy. The challenge in middle grade is, therefore, how do you share these stories? How do you put across the real, lived sadness, loss and peril in a way that’s appropriate for the young audience.

Fidan Meikle has got this just right. For starters, it is the child, Samim, telling the story- in the current day, and as a series of flashbacks in his Home Office testimony and to his friends. To hear his voice is so important, in line with the themes of the story.

The author shows from the very beginning that there is no illusion of happy-ever-after for everyone: from page 1, Samim is communicating with his best friend in ghost form. Expectations are set. But the use of gentle humour and strong characterisation helps temper the horrors of Samim’s experience. Meikle also includes kind characters along the way, sometimes in the most unexpected moments, whose kindness shines even brighter in the adversity many of them are themselves facing. Interestingly, the opposite of this phenomenon, makes Max, Samim’s bully in a UK school, seem all the more petty, mean and detestable. On the surface, Max has everything and he chooses hate.

It was interesting to watch Samim adapt to life in the UK. To adapt and become used to new cultural norms. Samim remarks upon his observations, shows empathy and flexibility. This is especially interesting given that Max , in his role of antagonist, and representing the xenophobic contingent in the British public, attempts to other Samim at every opportunity. And ultimately, Max is the one who sticks out the most.

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book opens with Samim in a detention center for refugee adults in England; he is tall for his age but finally convinces the authorities that he is actually a 13-year-old boy. Samim is anxious and has a habit of reciting the digits of pi in his head to calm himself down. He is not alone, however; his constant companion is his best friend Zayn who the reader soon realizes is not alive anymore. Samim is placed into a foster home and given a chance to tell his story and apply for asylum. The story continues on two timelines – present day as Samim adjusts to his new school and the past as he details how he migrated from Afghanistan to England with his best friend Zayn. In the present day, Samim proves he is a math whiz in school and he joins the chess club where he excels. He is also bullied by a white boy, Max, who is threatened by Samim’s chess skills. In the other timeline, readers learn the tragic circumstances of how and why he left his beloved home and family in Afghanistan and the dangerous journey he had to endure across land and sea. 

The book is moving, emotional, and paced perfectly. Both timelines are compelling and heartbreaking. Along his journey and in his current life in England, Samim encounters both kindness and cruelty. Meikle has written an accessible, hopeful account of one refugee’s experience that will promote both empathy and understanding. 

The pages have images in the corner that indicate the time frame of the story, which prevents reader confusion. Present day scenes have a black and white sketch of chess pieces and scenes from the past have a black and white illustration of constellations. Characters are from countries all over the world including Afghanistan, Eritrea, England, etc. The author is Azerbaijan British and uses a couple phrases that will be unfamiliar to American readers such as solicitor instead of lawyer. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Laura Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book begins when Samim is in a detention center for refugee adults in England; he is tall for his age but finally convinces the authorities that he is actually a 13 year old boy. Samim is anxious and has a habit of reciting the digits of Pi in his head to calm himself down. He is not alone, however; his constant companion is his best friend Zayn who the reader soon realizes is not alive anymore. Samim is placed into a foster home and given a chance to tell his story and apply for asylum. The story continues on two timelines – present day as Samim adjusts to his new school and the past as he details how he migrated from Afghanistan to England with his best friend Zayn. In the present day, Samim proves he is a math whiz in school and he joins the chess club where he excels. He is also bullied by a white boy, Max, who is threatened by Samim’s chess skills. In the other timeline, readers learn the tragic circumstances of how and why he left his beloved home and family in Afghanistan and the dangerous journey he had to endure across land and sea.
The book is moving, emotional, and paced perfectly. Both timelines are compelling and heartbreaking. Along his journey and in his current life in England, Samim encounters both kindness and cruelty. Meikle has written an accessible, hopeful account of one refugee’s experience that will promote both empathy and understanding.
The pages have images in the corner that indicate the time frame of the story, which prevents reader confusion. Present day scenes have a black and white sketch of chess pieces and scenes from the past have a black and white illustration of constellations. Characters are from countries all over the world including Afghanistan, Eritrea, England, etc. The author is Azerbaijan British and uses a couple phrases that will be unfamiliar to American readers such as solicitor instead of lawyer.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

When we catch up with Samim, he has already escaped to the UK, and is seeking asylum. He has lost everything. His parents, his uncle, his best friend, friends he made along the journey. He only wants to find a home.

We learn of how he got to the UK, through a series of stories that he tells to the person in charge of approving or disapproving his asylum. I wouldn’t say that it starts out slowly, after all the thing that sent him on his way was his house being deliberately burned down with his whole family inside. From there, it only gets worse, a little better, than worse again.

It is a harrowing story. The author said she based it on a young asylum seeker that she read about, and it got her thinking, and so she started interviewing people about what was involved in coming from Afghanistan to the UK.

Besides the harrowing story, that had me in tears for the last eighth of the book, at least, there were some beautiful bon mots.

“It’s winter and the naked trees line the street like upside-down crow’s feet, their branches dusted with white, as if sprinkled with salt.”

And

“She deserved to live more than anyone I’ve ever known. But just like us. She was nobody’s child, and this world is a beast to nobody’s children.”

The author set out to make refugees a story that children could relate to, that they could understand what they had been through, and I think she succeeded. I would highly recommend this book for children to read, and understand what happens to children left alone in the world.

Thanks to Edelweiss for making this book available for an honest review. This book will be published on the 10th of February 2026.

[Annaleise Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fidan Meikle is an Azerbaijani-British writer and linguist based in Scotland. My Name is Samim, her debut novel, was inspired by the true story of an Afghan refugee boy. The author worked with Afghan photojournalist Aryan Musleh to add authenticity and depth to the story.

The story follows thirteen-year-old Samim, a chess-loving maths whiz forced to flee Afghanistan after a bomb takes his home and his loving family from him. He escapes with his best friend Zayn, enduring a perilous journey via bus, truck, foot, car, dinghy, ferry and train, and suffering more loss along the way. This well-written and heart-wrenching novel introduces tween and young teen readers to the realities faced by refugees with honesty and compassion.

Now, as Samim navigates an unfamiliar culture, racist school bullies, and the looming outcome of his asylum application in the UK, he shares his story in a series of interviews with his caseworker. These flashbacks, told in past tense, are woven into the current-day, present-tense story, and explain Samim’s struggles with anxiety, anger and trust. While the subject matter is intense, there is humour and lightness too – primarily through Samim and Zayn’s brother-like, good-naturedly-insult-filled friendship. In the end, found family and people power come through for Samim, with a hopeful, tearjerker type of ending synonymous with middle grade.

There is currently a campaign underway by American school librarians clamouring for more books featuring thirteen-, fourteen- and fifteen-year-old protagonists, a category between middle grade and true young adult material that they have dubbed Young Teen Lit. This book fits several of the young teen lit criteria and is an excellent candidate for inclusion in this category. It would be a suitable Reader’s Cup title or class novel for Years 7/8, and there are comprehensive teaching notes available on the author’s website.

This review was first shared on StoryLinks Australia.

[Heather W · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Name is Samim is a powerful and deeply humane middle grade novel that gives voice to the lived experiences of young refugees with clarity, compassion, and emotional truth. Through Samim a gifted chess player, loyal friend, and survivor Fidan Meikle crafts a story that is both heartbreaking and hopeful, illuminating the cost of displacement while honoring resilience and memory.

Samim’s journey from Afghanistan to the UK is rendered with striking immediacy, weaving moments of fear and loss with tenderness, humor, and connection. The people he meets along the way especially his best friend Zayn form a constellation of courage that stays with the reader long after the final page. Equally affecting is the novel’s exploration of life after arrival: the challenges of school, prejudice, uncertainty, and the fragile hope of belonging.

Written with restraint and emotional intelligence, My Name is Samim invites empathy without sensationalism. It is an essential story for young readers, educators, and families one that fosters understanding, compassion, and a deeper awareness of the human realities behind the word “refugee.”

[Michael Doane · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Name Is Samim is a deeply moving and compassionate middle grade novel that gives voice to the experiences of young refugees with honesty, warmth, and humanity. Fidan Meikle tells Samim’s story with clarity and emotional intelligence, allowing readers to witness both the devastation of loss and the quiet strength required to survive. Samim’s journey from Afghanistan to the UK is portrayed with sensitivity, courage, and respect for the complexity of displacement.

What makes this book especially powerful is its balance of heartbreak and hope. The friendships Samim forms along the way particularly with Zayn and the other unforgettable figures he encounters bring light to even the darkest moments. Meikle’s prose is accessible yet profound, making difficult themes understandable for younger readers while remaining emotionally resonant for adults. My Name Is Samim is an essential, empathetic story about resilience, belonging, and the universal desire for safety and home.

[Siobhan Wilford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book. I didn't want it to end. You really step into Samim's world, head and heart. The sense of resilience, courage, bravery, sadness, loneliness, compassion, vulnerability, friendship, family, survival, suppport, love, fear, uncertainty, humour and acceptance are all in this one book. Such emotions can only open our hearts and know that we are all one.
There were so many moments throughout the book that made me stop and reflect, one that still does, last paragraph on page 107, very relevant to today's world.
Fidan has written this book with such humanity, tenderness, respect, and honour for all the children that found themselves caught in a world that they did not chose but are doing all they can to survive, be accepted and loved

[Ulya · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all- dear author, I'm desperately waiting for the continuation of the story!!!!!

"My name is Samim" is a heart breaking story that takes readers into the life of a refugee child facing the struggles of immigration. Through the child’s eyes, readers experience the pain of saying goodbye to family and the challenges of starting a new life in an unfamiliar place. As the child struggles to fit in, small acts of kindness and a new friendship bring light to their journey. The story shows how understanding and empathy from others can make all the difference. The reading is suitable for a wide audience including young readers and adults. Be prepared to cry, but also to be moved and inspired by the resilience and courage of the characters. A must-read!!!!!

[Sabinabay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book touched me deeply.
The story of Samim is both gentle and powerful, filled with emotion and honesty.
I especially loved how the author showed a child’s point of view in such a real and sensitive way.
Even though the story is short, it carries a lot of meaning.
It made me think about identity, family, and how important it is to feel that you belong.
Fidan Meikle writes with a soft but strong voice.
This book is not only for children — adults will feel it too.
I truly recommend it to anyone who wants to read something honest, emotional, and inspiring.

[Olga VS · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll be honest — I’m extra chuffed because a friend of mine wrote My Name Is Samim but I can honestly say I would have loved it anyway

It’s such a powerful and beautifully told story that brings a real human side to the refugee experience — honest moving and full of quiet strength. I cried more than once and kept thinking about it long after I finished

It’s an important book but more than that it’s just a really really good read. I’m so proud of my friend and so glad this story is out in the world

Highly recommend

[Raydene · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lesson in empathy and kindness. I'm not embarrassed to say I was a blubbering wreck reading this. Beautifully written, poignant and powerful the story of Samim should be a lesson to us all, and children encouraged to read it (as well as adults) to get an insight into the horrors and cruelty of child refugees. An emotive and eye opening read.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

YA book about a migrant's journey to the UK. Would use with pupils

[Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book. Made me cry and be frustrated at times. Why end in a cliffhanger though!?!! We need another one.

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so well done. A brilliant story about being a refugee and giving insight into the experiences faced by young people in the situation.