"Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" A Book Review

 

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Last time I went to the library, I did a couple of searches on recommendations of chapter books for fourth-graders, since my son is in the fourth grade. Unfortunately, many books on the list from Read Aloud America are not available in the city I live in here in South Korea. But I found "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" at one library here in Yongin-City, Kyeonggi Province, South Korea, at Bora Public Library. This library is distinct among libraries in Yongin and this is one way in which it is unique. Even in Korean, only Bora Public Library has this book. I may utilize it to study Korean as well.

What can I say about this book without giving the whole story away? Well, it is a moving book about a girl named "Aven" who has no arms. She was born that way. She was adopted by two of the coolest parents who love her and think of her not as their adopted daughter but as their real daughter. 

Her life is comfortable in Kansas but as a result of her dad getting a job as a theme park manager in Arizona, the whole family "gets to" move to Arizona. But when they get there, there are a whole lot of surprises. I won't spoil it by telling you what those surprises are.

While Aven has no arms, she is a truly remarkable person. You who have known people with disabilities who lived exemplary lives know what I'm talking about. And she becomes friends with two others, one of which also has a disability of sorts and the other is self-conscious about being overweight. But these three become three in a pod.

As I told you, I borrowed this book for my son but I am 46 years and I absolutely loved it. In fact, I wish I had read a book like this when I was in the fourth grade and had a hard time making friends. This book is a must read for anyone, big or small. 

I'll warn you now, once you pick it up you won't want to put it down and don't be surprised if you shed a tear at some point, especially at the end when Aven does the remarkable on stage.

If you're wondering what age this book is appropriate, according to Common Sense Media, this book is appropriate for children age 9 and above. 

Don't want to go to the library but just want to read it from home. Just click here and you can buy it directly from Amazon.