A review by ethan_libra
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling

3.0

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus wasn't any better or worse than I expected it to be. It was a perfectly fine middle grade novel, from a "genre" I think I'm growing out of. Although I enjoyed this book for the most part, I also think it's pretty formulaic. It seems like since Wonder by R.J. Palacio came out and received all of the attention it did, there have been a slew of middle grade books about kids who are "different" in some way adjusting to "normal" life. (Probably before Wonder too, but that's the biggest example of this "subgenre" I can think of.) I feel like these novels can be important in teaching young readers about diversity, the challenges others go through, and accepting yourself and others for who they are. However, I didn't think this particular novel was that interesting on its own, and I'll probably forget it in a week.