Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

I didn't read this book "Alma Presses Play," therefore I cannot in good faith leave a review on this or any other site.

Cane does an excellent job expressing the feelings of a teen who is stuck in the middle of everything and the helpless feelings that can arise when your whole world shifts around you. The historical setting is well done and not overpowering.

This book of verse is told from young Alma's point of view as she is turning into a teenager in 1980s New York City. She is into music and uses it to help her in the world. She has a core group of friends and all of them are dealing with some problem. She realizes that something is going on with her parents, who are already struggling with her dad being Jewish and her mom being Chinese, and tries her best to just ignore it and focus on school. There are great moments in this book, but sometimes it feels too contemporary. She uses some slang from the 80s, but there are often moments where it felt more like 2020 kids. The little moments of lists or letters added so much to this story though, and I really appreciated those.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's for the review copy of Alma Presses Play by Tina Cane. I liked a lot about this book. I was intrigued by the novel in verse aspect of this as well as that it takes place in the 80's.

The verse of this book was really beautiful. I loved the exploration of Alma dealing with friends, changes, and family drama. The integration of songs and 80s nostalgia really kept me interested. However, I found that the plot jumped around a little bit, and the ending was way too ambiguous to feel complete.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children’s and author Tina Cane for the opportunity to read Alma Presses Play!

This novel in verse is perfect for middle grade and young adult audiences. It’s more character-based than plot-based, and I think Alma’s reflections could be perfect for a child going through a hard time. I especially loved Alma’s commitment to mental kung fu and the fact that she had a safe adult at school to talk with about the changes going on in her life. Would definitely recommend!

This book was such a beautiful and interesting read. I loved the writing style and the 80s setting. Will definitely be reading more from Tina Caine.

I love books in verse. This title was very sweet and interesting. I loved reading about Alma's experiences.

I was really excited to read this one; I'm a big fan of novels written in verse. However, I had a really tough time connecting with the characters and the story. I do appreciate the diversity of the cast of characters as well as the openness with which they discuss menstruation. I just wish I had felt more of a connection with this book.

I normally love a novel in verse, but this didn't feel like verse to me. There were a lot of things going on, and even though that might be how real life is, it didn't feel cohesive in a novel. I hated that there wasn't a clear ending.

I love books that are written in verse. If beautifully written it can change the whole vibe of the book. Even though I was born in the 80's. Reading about growing up in the 80's sounds so cool. She loves Music and hanging out with her friends riding her bike. Life seems good... until it's not.

Alma Presses Play is told in unpunctuated poems, some begin with a song lyric, some begin with a word and its definition and some are in the form of a letter or lists. I don’t read a lot of books written in verse and when I do I really enjoy reading them. This wasn’t a fast read for me because I was reading it off my computer and eye strain was real for me. I don’t regret that at all. It was worth it.

Our main character is Alma (13 years old) and she is a half-Chinese, half-Jewish girl growing up in New York City in the ’80s. There was so much 80s reference that it definitely brought me back to my youth with her walkman and the music she was listening to. Every time she mentioned a song I admit I went to youtube to hear it again. Brought back so many fun memories for me. Yes, I even had a walkman with cassettes.

Alma is your typical 13/14-year-old girl trying to navigate life as best as she can while dealing with family problems with her parents possibly divorcing, friends, and puberty.

The one thing I did notice and not sure if girls are like that today but Alma was obsessed with her period and telling everyone and practically anyone. I know when I was her age I never told anyone and none of my friends really talked about it. I do know one thing girls back then actually were obsessed with and gushed about was their first kiss. I still remember mine and the funny fact is I am still friends with him today.

This was an interesting book. Alma is a middle school girl in the 1980's and we follow her through school and the troubles at home between her parents' failing marriage.

Alma Presses Play is a novel in verse about a half-Chinese, half-Jewish girl named Alma in 1980s New York. She struggles with finding her place and feeling caught in between worlds, and in between her parents.

I really enjoyed this book and felt like Alma was such a realistic, relatable character. The book touches on identity, diaspora, and the feeling of being fractured that so many mixed-race folks experience. As a mixed Asian & Jewish person myself, I found that Alma's feelings really resonated with me. The 1980s New York setting was fun, and I loved the diverse mix of supporting characters. The author challenges some racist, homophobic, and antisemitic sentiments of the time, which I appreciated.

My only disappointment is that I expected music to be a much bigger part of the book due to the title, cover, and summary! Music was woven into the story, but definitely not as much as I'd expected.

Alma Presses Play is perfect for older pre-teens & younger teens. I think this would be a perfect book for readers who are transitioning from children's fiction to young adult fiction, or middle school readers getting ready to move to high school.

This was a quick and enjoyable read. I haven't read many novels written in verse, and I liked this more than most of them. It was a little hard for me to get through, and was a little confused on what was happening because it focuses so much on the character's emotions. I would definitely recommend to a younger audience, but I think most people will like it.

I loved this so much. I highly recommend this to everyone. I am going to go out and get a physical copy.

It is an inherent flaw in verse novels that there isn't much action. The focus of the book isn't on what happens but rather on how the characters feel about those events. Most of this book is spent reflecting on race, gender roles, and the difficulties of being a middle schooler. A quick read but not terribly engaging.

I'm afraid I had to DNF this book. Unfortunately this is partly due to the way it is offered on Netgalley - there are no download options that allow me to change the font size which makes it very difficult to read. Also, I was struggling to gel with the book. Ordinarily I love novels in verse but this one just didn't hit the mark.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Tina Cane for the opportunity to read Alma Presses Play in exchange for an honest review.

This book claims to be a novel-in-verse, and while it certainly has its poetic elements, it wasn't quite like the other novels-in-verse that I have read before.

Alma is a half Chinese, half Jewish girl living in New York in the 1980's. She loved her Walkman, on which she listens to her favorite songs. Often times people relate songs to current events in their lives, and Alma certainly finds a song for every circumstance. She shows the struggles of transitioning from middle school to high school, but she has some road bumps along the way.

Alma loses friends and makes new ones. Her parents are in the midst of a divorce. She sees a social worker/therapist lady. And she's about to enter high school. Life is a whirlwind, but at least she can find her way through by connecting to music. This also has great cultural elements throughout the novel.

I marked this as both Middle Grade and Young Adult, as the character is a good portrayal for both audiences. This is a coming-of-age story about learning how to get through the things life throws at a person. While it wasn't quite what I expected with verse (I particularly enjoy Ellen Hopkins' verse novel methods), this is a great high-lo novel that readers will enjoy and connect to.

Coming of age novel, set in 1982, about 13 year old Alma, who is half-Chinese, half-Jewish. The book documents her everyday struggles as she witnesses the unsurprising dissolution of her parents' marriage, copes with the move of a close friend, puberty, and middle school awkwardness.