THE SCHOOLYARD BET: AFZAL AND FRIENDS VS THE TERRORIST
Chandra Chari
THE SCHOOLYARD BET: AFZAL AND FRIENDS VS THE TERRORIST by By Manu Namboodiri Westland Books, 2024, 290 pp., INR 299.00
November 2024, volume 48, No 11

‘Afzal looked around and examined the gaggle of terrorists on the Pakistani end of the bridge, a sniper pointing at them from the helicopter hovering over the border and an armed ISI agent standing on their finishing line.’

This quote from the book highlights the cast of characters which Afzal and his friends encounter in their hair-raising adventure in Pakistan. Manu Namboodiri in The Schoolyard Bet: Afzal and Friends vs the Terrorist has spun an extremely readable tale for the YA. Terrorism, conflict between nations, and the intricate web of intelligence and counter-intelligence are all part of the vocabulary which the social-media savvy young teen today is very familiar with.

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