skconaghan 's review for:

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling
5.0
adventurous challenging funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
Read this with my niece.

What a beautiful, humorous, heart-warming little coming-of-age story with a touch of mystery, family drama, and fledgling friendships. Chock full of love and forgiveness and self discovery. Perfect middle-grade novel by an author with personal experience raising children who experience similar struggles.

I got choked up a couple times, frequently laughed out loud, and enjoyed every chapter of this novel with my 11 year old niece. A great summer adventure with a relatable girl (despite not having arms) who faces her struggles head on and grows in maturity and love in a new home, makes new friends, and finds her place and purpose.