October Grades 5-6 Book Club: Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

For October's Book Club, we read Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling. Ian and Mark were present. This is what we discussed.

1. How do you think your life would be different if you didn’t have arms? Find some examples of the way Aven solves problems that arise from not having arms. What kind of problems would you face in your life if you didn’t have arms? 

-I'd use my legs like Aven to do things
-Also use my teeth
-I wouldn't be able to play rock, paper, scissors but I'd be awesome at soccer
-Her friends helped her out sometimes and used her brain to help figure things out

2. Think about the title of the book. Why is it called this? What does Aven mean when she says her life is an insignificant event in the life of a cactus?

-Why does she refer to herself as a cactus
-Cactus live in the desert
-They are prickly things living in the desert and oftentimes don't have arms

3. This book is told in first person, from Aven’s point-of-view. How do you think it would change if it were told in third person? Do you notice any differences between the way Aven talks to the reader and the way she writes her blog posts?

-She used "I" to indicate first person
-If she used third person, we'd probably hear more about Connor and Zion's lives and their thoughts
-She tells her blog in a funny voice, maybe trying to cover up her feelings of sadness

4. When Aven first meets Connor, and he points out that she doesn’t have arms, she says, “Oh my gosh! I knew I was forgetting something today.” How does she use her sense of humor to her advantage? Can you find other examples in the story where Aven makes light of not having arms?

-She makes light of her disability in her blog
-She is probably sad that she doesn't have arms is covering up her feelings

5. In chapter 7, a girl at school asks Aven if her disability is contagious. Why does the girl ask this? Why does it make Aven feel bad?

-Because Rebecca didn't want to not have arms. She didn't want to be different.
-She's a meanie.
-She was publicly shaming Aven for not having arms.

6. Why does Zion eat on the sidewalk behind the office by himself? Do you know someone who spends a lot of time alone at school? What might be some ways to include him/her in your activities?

-He feels like he's different from everyone else
-He's so big that he doesn't want people to watch him eat because he thinks they'll make fun of him
-No one in our grade spends time alone

7. Compare and contrast Aven and Connor. What traits do they share? What traits make them different? Do you think Connor is as comfortable having Tourette’s as Aven is not having arms? Find specific examples in the text to support your answer.

-I feel like Connor gets mad at himself for having Tourette's. It's not his fault though. 
-Sometimes Aven feels bad that she doesn't have arms but she's mostly accepted her disability

8. The Aven we meet at the beginning of the story is very different from the Aven we meet at the end. How is she the same, and how has she changed? What about Connor?

-Connor is different at the end because he's learning to accept how to have Tourette's (how it is, how he's going to be)
-Aven has learned a lot more about what it means to have no arms
-Aven has changed because she is more experienced and she learns a lot more how to have friends with disabilities


9. Think of a time when you felt empathy. What can you do to be more empathetic in your daily life?

em·​pa·​thy | \ ˈem-pə-thē  

Definition of empathy:

1: the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another of either the past or present without having the feelings, thoughts, and experience fully communicated in an objectively explicit manner

-I can try to imagine how it feels for people who are different than me, with a certain disability.
-I don't know how they do stuff. It's pretty amazing.
-Once a friend didn't do well on an exam and felt down and I was able to say to him "I've gotten that grade before...I've been there."
-I try to imagine what someone else feels and what their life is like



Please rate this story between 1 and 5, with 1 being the worst book you've ever read and 5 being the best.

-4 1/2
-4 1/2


The next Grades 5-6 Book Club will meet on Wednesday, November 20 at 3:00 p.m. For November's club, we will be reading A World Below by Wesley King.

Mr. Baker's eighth grade class thought they were in for a normal field trip to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, but their journey takes a terrifying turn when an earthquake hits and the students are plunged into a frigid underground lake, forcing them to fight for survival and find their way back above ground.

Please be sure to pick up your copy and register for the Club at the Circulation Desk!