ZANIB MIAN is an accomplished children’s author whose books have featured on BBC’s Cbeebies Bedtime Stories and The Guardian for their contribution to diversity in children’s literature. Zanib studied Molecular Cell Biology at University College London and went on to teach Science in secondary schools before she made the decision to give up the career to create change within children’s publishing. She felt that diverse characters from all minorities and backgrounds weren’t being fully represented in books for young children. She launched Sweet Apple Publishers with a clear commitment to publishing inclusive books, many of which she has authored herself.  Zanib also launched Muslim Children's Books where she publishes Islamic children's books that truly speak to Muslim children of today.

In 2018, Zanib Mian was the surprise winner of the Little Rebels Award for her self-published middle grade book, The Muslims. This was then signed up by Hachette Children's Group in a world rights deal to become Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet (2019) and the launch of a new series perfect for fans of Tom Gates and Wimpy Kid. Planet Omar: Accidental Trouble Magnet was longlisted for the UKLA Award and nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for The Diverse Book Awards. In 2021 Zanib Mian was selected for World Book Day (UK) and shortlisted for The Diverse Book Awards and recommended onthe BookTrust’s list 100 Best Books of the Last 100 Years. The Planet Omar series is also published in the North America by Putnam (Penguin Random House) and translated into translated into Arabic, Danish, Dutch, German, Italian, and Turkish.

Zanib Mian's second series (for ages 5-9) with Hachette Children's Group is Meet the Maliks: Twin Detectives, with illustrations by Kyan Cheng. The first book, The Cookie Culprit, is Winner of Inclusive Books For Children Award , Best Children's Fiction 2024

Zanib Mian says: "I am deeply honoured to be awarded the Inclusive Books for Children prize for Meet the Maliks, which features Muslim characters and is set within the vibrant backdrop of a mosque. This recognition holds special significance for me as it underscores the importance of combating negative stereotypes and providing an authentic portrayal of Muslim culture."

REVIEWS:

The Irish Times "Mian integrates the daily detail of the characters' lives and rituals into a propulsive plot. Short chapters are further enlivened by Kyan Cheng's illustrations giving Meet the Maliks a Diary of a Wimpy Kid appeal."

"It's brilliant to see the everyday life of a normal Muslim family in a book. This is a book of mystery and mayhem but also family bonds, admitting mistakes and standing up for what is right." Nizrana Farook, author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant

"Be prepared for lots of laughing out loud with the new mystery solvers, Maysa and Musa. There are samosas and madrasas in this wonderful story about an ordinary British Muslim family. So much fun ... and you'll never guess who the cookie culprit is." Sufiya Ahmed, author of My Story: Noor-Un-Nissa Inayat Khan and Rosie Raja

Sunday Times "The illustrations are jolly, the writing is light on its feet and Mian's gentle mixing of humour and Muslim tradition is fresh and necessary."

Times Literary Supplement "Newly independent readers in the market for highly illustrated, humorous fiction in the Tom Gates vein should seek out Zanib Mian's Omar series. Omar is a dreamy, inventive boy, perpetually poised between idealistic altruism and down-to-earth mischief…His day-to-day adventures, are absorbing, comic and enjoyable, full of playfulness and imagination – and the means by which he and his family counter prejudice and bullying strike a careful balance between the hope of blooming new friendships and the pain of being poorly treated by the ignorant."

The Bookseller "Big-hearted, funny and very entertaining"

Book Trust "Zanib Mian is a properly brilliant and funny new voice"

See the excitement for Zanib Mian's book The Muslims when it was the surprise winner of the Little Rebels Award 2018 – chosen over a shortlist of seven authors including Malala Yousafzai and Gill Lewis! in The Bookseller

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