Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

Life of a Cactus Series, Book 1

By: Dusti Bowling

Narrated by: Karissa Vacker

Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

The audio edition of the best-selling middle grade novel about a spunky girl born without arms and a boy with Tourette syndrome navigating the challenges of middle school, disability, and friendship - all while solving a mystery in a western theme park.

Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is that she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she'll have to answer the question over and over again.

Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It's hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven's about to discover she can do it all... even without arms.

©2017 Dusti Bowling (P)2019 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Charming and memorable. An excellent choice for middle grade collections and classrooms." (School Library Journal Starred Review)

Read this book!🤩

This was one of my favorite books! The story is amazing! I recommend this to all readers!

Grab this one; you won't regret it.

This was an amazing book and I loved the narrator. I thought the whole set up of the "discoveries" were good, but it was a bit too predictable. Still, I loved that the mystery-hunting was not the focal point and yet was meaningful to understanding the character and her nature. The narration was fabulous at helping convey all if the characters ages and emotions. This is a great story of perseverance, fun, and humanity and I will continue recommending it to friends :)

Super Cute

I don’t know why this took me two years to read, but I’m so glad I took my students’ advice. It’s super cute, and I even shed a few tears (though I easily do!). Great for upper elementary.

Wonderful, positive book

I loved it! This is a great book for staying positive over the circumstances. This is good for adults and young adults alike - not just geared toward young adults.

Terrific middle reader novel

Aven, the main character, is moving to a new town and a new school as an 8th grader. So difficult for anyone that age. Aven's challenge is even bigger because of one other thing - she has no arms. Aven is a very cool character - funny, believable, and inspiring. Her mom and dad are amazing parents. This novel is about trying to fit it when your difference cannot be hidden. Aven ends out befriending fellow loners - a boy with Tourette's Syndrome (causing him to regularly bark), and an overweight boy. This story is about coping with being differently abled, and is funny, heart-warming and inspiring. As an adult, I give this 4.5 stars. It will be even higher for a young person audience. It falls short in small ways. It is advertised as a mystery, but that mystery is so secondary to this plot. It seems more like a ploy to sell the book. Take away that mystery, and there is very little central plot outside of Aven's attempt to fit into her new school community. And that is so engagingly done, it almost does not need much more. The "differently-abled" theme is sometimes over the top, but mostly hits the right notes. This book is entertaining and packs a great message. The narrator is amazing.

A DEFINT READ

if you like advenrure and mistery this is the book for you. You experice what you can do with your life and will look at people differently

AMAZING

This book made me so exited
I loved how different everyone was and how at the end of the day they didn’t care what others think.

Awesome book - loved it!

I’ve had this book on my wish list all year and am so glad I was finally able to make my way to it! I really loved the characters and fun, unique storyline! Special friendships, family dynamics and life lessons (for anyone!) from a really fresh perspective made this a wonderful reading experience! Also a great performance by the narrator that helped connect with the characters, made it easy to know who was who as the story unfolded. Looking forward to enjoying the sequel!

when avien found out her Gramma was the owner

I loved when avien found out that her grandmother was the owner and she didn't know for 12yrs

be great full for what you, and be kind to the disabled. and don't care what other people think.

I like, Aven, she doesn't have arms, and yet she doesn't care what other people think.
she trys to make light of not having arms.
and even handles all the looks, the stares, the pain, the hard ships, and all the heat, and tornados.