Dusti Bowling’s Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus Delights and Inspires
Aven, the heroine of Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus, by Dusti Bowling, is used to people asking her what happened to her arms, and she has a string of tall tales ready to answer them with. In truth, though, she never had any arms to lose, having been born without them. Her parents, who adopted her as a baby, can count on her to look after herself, and her friends and teachers are used to her managing just fine. But when her parents take a job managing Stagecoach Pass, a dusty old Wild West theme park in Arizona, Aven is going to have to go to a new school, where the kids won’t see her, they’ll see her lack of arms.
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus (Life of a Cactus Series #1)
Hardcover
$13.99
$16.99
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus (Life of a Cactus Series #1)
In Stock Online
Hardcover
$13.99
$16.99
Aven knows she’s competent, fun-loving, funny, and good at soccer, but if the other kids keep their distance, thrown off by her difference, how can she show them? Only one classmate seems willing to become a friend, Connor, who has his own disability, Tourette’s Syndrome, that has put a wall up between him and the other kids. Aven is more than willing to put up with his random barking and other tics in exchange for his intelligence and good nature, and he’s happy to be follow in her lead as the two of them explore the rather doubtful attractions of Stagecoach Pass.
Aven knows she’s competent, fun-loving, funny, and good at soccer, but if the other kids keep their distance, thrown off by her difference, how can she show them? Only one classmate seems willing to become a friend, Connor, who has his own disability, Tourette’s Syndrome, that has put a wall up between him and the other kids. Aven is more than willing to put up with his random barking and other tics in exchange for his intelligence and good nature, and he’s happy to be follow in her lead as the two of them explore the rather doubtful attractions of Stagecoach Pass.
Though Stagecoach Pass is rundown and seedy, when Aven gets to know it and the people who work there she starts to imagine possibilities for renovations and additional attractions, and her enthusiasm is contagious. What she didn’t imagine was discovering a piece of her own past buried in its dust…
This isn’t a book about a brave kid struggling with a disability, because that’s not at all how Aven thinks of herself, though she is brave, and she does have to work harder to accomplish many things people with arms take for granted. Her challenges aren’t minimized, but they aren’t the point. At its heart, this is a universal story of moving to a new place with new people, and trying to make connections, and it’s only when it comes to these struggles that Aven feels a bit sorry for herself (although she does have a flash of perfectly understandable worry about her toes holding up, since she asks so much more from them then they were really meant to do). It’s also a bit of a mystery, as there are secrets at Stagecoach Pass.
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus is a heartwarming, entertaining, and inspirational story, perfect for fans of Wonder, by R.J. Palacio, who will cheer for Aven, and for Connor as well. It’s also a positive story about adoption. What with the current abundance of dead or dysfunctional parents in middle grade fiction, it’s great to see Aven’s parents being a positive force in her life!
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus is coming to B&N bookshelves on September 5. You can pre-order it now!
For more about the story behind the book’s cover design, check out our cover reveal post.