Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

by Dusti Bowling

Aven Green was born without arms, and now that her parents are moving the family across the country to take over a rundown Arizonan theme park, she'll have to explain her differences again and again to a whole new group of people.

Then she makes a new friend with a disability of his own. This story includes a mystery to solve as well as themes of belonging, friendship, and finding your own way through life. 

How Self-Paced Book Club Classes Work

Participation in the self-paced book club includes immediate access to a set of resources and activities to be completed at your own pace.

Families are welcome to use as many or as few of the suggested resources and activities as they'd like to fit their interest and schedules.

Book Club Materials

  • Suggested Reading Schedule

  • Reading Guides with Comprehension Questions (PDF and Google Slides)

  • Vocabulary and Reading Activities

  • Writing/Multimodal Project Prompts

  • Video Discussion of the Book

  • Final Project Feedback Rubrics

Ages:

9-13

Content Note:

This book contains mild mentions of imagined violence (character imagines punching someone if she had arms). It contains some dark humor about disability (such as imagining if an arm transplant from a serial killer would make her arms deadly). Mention of divorce, death, adoption, and struggles of living with a disability.

Supplies:

  • A copy of the book Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling (ISBN: 978-1-4549-3299-4)
    Used and borrowed copies will work just fine! If your learner is going to participate in final projects and reading guides, I recommend having a physical copy even if they primarily read the ebook or audiobook. (Dayla Learning Bookshop Link)
  • PDF reader
  • Access to printer recommended


Pricing options

This class uses a sliding fee scale for pricing options in order to build more equitable access to these educational opportunities.

Meet Your Teacher!

Michelle Parrinello-Cason

Dr. Michelle Parrinello-Cason is the founder of Dayla Learning. She has a PhD in rhetoric and composition, a passion for helping students find their writing voice, and two homeschooling children of her own. Michelle has taught in a wide variety of settings including six years as a full-time college professor. She has been teaching virtual and in-person homeschool writing and humanities classes for more than five years. Michelle believes in meeting students where they are and — as any of her previous students will tell you — believes deeply that there is no such thing as a bad rough draft!