Middle School Pandemonium by Pamela Riley is a middle-grade story that follows the journey of Casey Murphy, an eleven-year-old Floridian boy. Things begin to go wrong for him in 2020 with a canceled trip to Brazil, but little does he know at this point that life is going to unfold before him something he has never witnessed before. Casey's parents promise to get him a baseball bat of his choice if he fills a notebook with his life events in 2020, the pandemic year. With his eyes on the prize, Casey readily agrees to do it. The notebook is the foundation of this book, featuring the diverse aspects of Casey's life during the pandemic. 

Pamela Riley's Middle School Pandemonium is a light-hearted and enjoyable book despite the serious theme it tackles. I love the authenticity of the voice of Casey Murphy, the narrator; how Riley managed to view life during the coronavirus pandemic through the eyes of an eleven-year-old boy is simply amazing. I enjoyed the way she portrayed the setting; it allowed me to learn a few things about life in Florida and the place itself. I also like the balance she ensured in the book by covering different aspects of a pubescent boy's life, without letting a particular one dominate the entire plot. Sport does take up a significant portion of the story but I feel that it only adds to the believability of the content by reflecting Casey's passion for games, especially baseball.