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It was a really, really old video of her from about 20 or so years ago. It came to me after I saw a video of a woman named Barbie Thomas. Jade Traverse: “Do you know someone with this handicap?'ĭusti Bowling: “I actually did not when I first started thinking about this story. And that’s how the title came about.”Īnd another sixth-grade student had this question for the author about if the book had real-life inspiration. 'My editor actually picked the title, and she created it from a line that Aven says in chapter eight, when she says: ‘I am an entirely insignificant event in the life of this cactus.’ She really liked that scene and she liked the meaning behind the line, and what Aven was feeling at that moment. In addition to liking Aven's personality, there was one aspect of the book that made Brian especially curious.īrian Lenox: 'Why did you choose the title Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus?'ĭusti Bowling: “Well, actually Brian, it’s interesting - but a lot of times when your book gets sold to a publisher, they change the title. “She had a lot of grit and determination,” said Castleton sixth-grader Brian Lenox, about the book's main character. The challenge was in conjunction with their discussion of the book 'The Insignificant Event in the Life of a Cactus,' about a teen with no arms who completes many everyday tasks using her feet.

VPR Jade Traverse, left, and Brian Lenox work on passing a lifesaver to each other using straws and not their hands.

And she lets readers know that, right from the beginning of the book. She was born with no arms, so she’s just learned how to do everyday things differently. It’s not as easy as you might think - but it might not be a very big deal for Aven. To get a feel for what that might be like, Castleton Village School media and literacy teacher Tina Rampone has given this group of Dorothy’s List readers a challenge: Try to pass your friend a lifesaver candy using only a straw. 'And she just does a lot of things with her feet, and I thought that was interesting because that’s how people with no arms do things. “She uses her feet a lot to write and eat,' Rosalie said about Aven. The book was eye-opening for Castleton seventh-grader Rosalie Bates.

Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you had no arms? How would you eat? Or write? Or turn the pages of a book? Those are some of the everyday challenges facing 13-year-old Aven Green, the main character in Dusti Bowling’s novel Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus.Ī group of Dorothy’s List readers at Castleton Village School spent a recent afternoon discussing the novel.

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