Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

Born without arms, 13-year-old Aven Green approaches her unique life with good humor, grace, and unflagging positivity—until her parents take a job managing a worn-out Western theme park in Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus (2017). Suddenly the new kid at school, Aven discovers that others have trouble seeing past her disability to the creative, funny person inside. Aven’s life changes when she meets Connor, who struggles with Tourette syndrome. Author Dusti Bowling’s debut middle grade novel is a sensitive exploration of self-acceptance, belonging, and the power of friendship. Bowling drew on personal experiences to create the characters in Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus: Her cousin suffered a severe arm injury, and several of Bowling’s close family members have tic disorders. The novel is a call for empathy and inclusion for people with differences.

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus received starred reviews from School Library Journal and Booklist. The novel was chosen as a Junior Library Guild selection and appeared on the 2018 Library of Congress 52 Great Reads list. Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus is followed by Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus (2019). Bowling's other popular works include the middle grade adventure and survival novels Across the Desert (2019) and The Canyon's Edge (2020).

Content Warning: The source material and this guide include instances and discussions of bullying and ableism.

Plot Summary

Adopted at age two, Aven Green has lived most of her life in Kansas with her adoptive parents. When her mom and dad saw Aven’s picture on an adoption website, they knew immediately that Aven was their daughter. Thanks to their loving support and their insistence that Aven learn to do everything for herself, Aven is independent and proud of it. She uses her feet and toes as skillfully as people with arms use their hands. At school, Aven has many friends and is a star soccer player. Aven has a puckish sense of humor and enjoys pranking people and making up wild stories about how she lost her arms. Throughout her upbeat narration, Aven blogs lightheartedly about her lack of arms.

Everything changes for Aven when her dad accepts a job as manager of Stagecoach Pass, a run-down theme park in Arizona. Aven leaves behind her friends and comfort zone. Arizona is hot and dry and strange. Stagecoach Pass is filled with eccentric characters, like Henry, the old soda jerk with dementia; Josephine, the eighty-year-old cook; Bob, the grumpy gold mine attendant; and Spaghetti, the llama with a tumor on his head. The students at Desert Ridge Middle School are unwelcoming, and Aven endures lots of stares. Aven navigates classes with aplomb but is too self-conscious to eat lunch in the cafeteria. After several depressing days of eating in a bathroom stall, Aven skips lunch and visits the library. There, she meets Connor, a boy with Tourette syndrome.

Like Aven, Connor avoids the cafeteria. His disorder causes Connor to “tic,” or make involuntary barking sounds and involuntary motions like shrugging and blinking. He gets stared at like Aven, and people make fun of him. Connor and Aven accept each other’s differences, becoming firm friends. Together, they attend a Tourette support group where they meet other kids who have different manifestations of the syndrome. Unlike Aven, Connor has a more negative attitude about his life. He thinks he is a freak and believes that his disorder caused his parents’ fighting and divorce.

Together with Zion, a boy who is also isolated at school because of his obesity, the friends investigate the mystery of the Cavanaughs, the strangely absent owners of Stagecoach Pass. They discover clues to the missing family that indicate a connection to Aven herself, including an old photograph that looks like Aven, but with arms. Aven warms to Stagecoach Pass and helps organize an art festival to attract more visitors.

When someone cruelly films Connor ticcing, he believes his own negative thoughts and tries to bring Aven down, too, insisting that she is disabled, and cannot truly do anything and everything that people with arms can. Aven angrily disagrees. Their fight leaves a rift, and Aven wishes she could be like everyone else, though her dad counsels her to be herself.

Aven tries out for the soccer team and meets new friends who see Aven for herself. When Aven finds another photograph, she learns that Josephine is the owner of Stagecoach Pass—and her birth grandmother. Aven’s birth mother died shortly after Aven was born, and Josephine gave Aven up for adoption. Like her birth mother, Aven is skilled at playing the guitar. Initially upset at being abandoned, Aven forgives Josephine.

Connor and Aven mend their friendship. Aven overcomes her dislike of being stared at and joins the festival band in a guitar accompaniment. Connor faces his fear of crowds and attends the festival to see her play. Assured that her life is significant, Aven will no longer let anything hold her back. Aven, Connor, and Zion finally feel confident enough in themselves, and their friendship, to eat together in the cafeteria. Aven’s final blog post stresses the necessity of good friends.