Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
Publisher
Sterling Children's Books
Publication Year
2017
ISBN
9781454923459
Pages
272 pages
Genre
realism
Format
novel
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
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 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.
Grade Level
3-5; 6-8
Lexile Measure
700L
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; Disability and Health; Adoption; Physical disability; Neurological disorders; adopted teenager; adoptive parents; no arms; congenital limb defect; Tourette syndrome
Main Character
female teenager
Race/Ethnicities
multiple
Family Formation
adoptive mother and father
Awards
Cybils Awards, 2017, Nominee, Middle Grade Fiction
Southwest Book Awards, 2017, Finalist, Children's Book
Best of the Best Books, 2017 Fiction for Older Readers
Keywords
middle school; moving; Arizona; theme park; new school; friendship; solving a mystery; support group
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
Bowling, Dusti, "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" (2017). Diverse Families. 1587.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/1587