Reviews with content warning for Body shaming - Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

this was a quick and lovable story of three kids finding their place in the world. a little bit of mystery, a little bit of humor, and a lot of emotions. overall a very simple and predictable story, but fun and enjoyable nonetheless.

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nxclx's review

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adventurous informative inspiring

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

As someone that is fully abled, I want to preface this review by saying just that: this is an outsiders review and should be taken as such. Please see other reviews for a more first hand perspective. I have looked over other reviews before writing this one, as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. For the main plots, I liked it a lot, save for the ending with the

Spoiler
adoption reveal.

I personally could have done without that. I found the mystery aspect to be fun and just as silly as middle graders would make it be. I personally liked how the disabilities of the two characters were addressed and progressed throughout the book, and how all three were considered outcasts and banded together before branching out to others at the end. I can see how certain parts could be handled better

Spoiler
("be a man" and other gender enforcing wording for example)

, but it didn't ruin the book for me. I think this would be a great book to show middle graders and to have a discussion about after the fact. It seems like a great starting point to introduce heavier topics and open up discussions.

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