"Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling

Zowie!  Is this book ever wonderful!  In fact, it's probably in my top 3 for favorite new reads this year so far.  I laughed, I cried -- it moved me, Bob.

Thirteen-year-old Aven was born without arms.  So, she doesn't really miss arms.  Her adoptive parents have taught her how to do just fine getting through life using her feet and her ingenuity.  So, the only thing she really misses right now are her friends, because her dad just got a new job that means they've had to move from Kansas to Arizona.  His new job running a struggling Wild West theme park is pretty cool, and Aven thinks she has uncovered a small mystery involving a locked building, a missing photo, and a pretty necklace half buried at the foot of a giant saguaro cactus.  

Slowly, Aven makes new friends: first, a boy with Tourette's Syndrome, then a boy who struggles with being overweight.  Eventually, she finds acceptance and even friendship with some of the so-called "normal" of kids at school, too.  The theme park finds some new energy and life, and Aven solves her mystery.

Throughout the book, Aven displays compassion, humor, and tenacity.  She's got a really upbeat attitude, without being gratingly perky, and her perseverance is inspiring.  I was really excited to learn that there's a sequel, too!

Particularly Good Bits:

Seriously, people, you're not fooling anyone.  Just keep staring -- it's okay to be curious.  Everyone is (p. 60).

But there are a lot of hard things in life.  Who would I be if I gave up when things got hard? (p. 223).

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG for a little tiny bit of rude humor -- there's a boy with Tourette's Syndrome who says "chicken nipple" all the time, and Aven mentions that people like to ask her how she wipes after using the bathroom when she has no arms.  She refuses to explain.  It's very mild and totally age-appropriate, so I wasn't bothered.  I doubt most kids would be.  

No bad language, and no inappropriate content.

This is my 20th book read from my TBR shelves for the 2024 Mount TBR Reading Challenge.