Their growing friendship allows the upcoming Comic Con to take prominence and we find Zion's family playing a strong role in "Momentous." The strongest story line centers around Aven's "Great Humiliation" and her decision to take action and move one - definitely a highlight for me. Connor's geographical distance, however, does allow Zion to grow as a character since he and Aven start high school together. I missed his friendship with Aven being such a prominent theme.
Connor has relocated to spend more time with his dad and is not as strongly featured as in the first book.
Spaghetti, the llama, shares Aven's affections with Chili, the horse, and Fathead, the tarantula rescue. Bowling deftly communicates just how adept Aven has become at living life without arms in a world built for such appendages. However, my recommended age for this series is grades 3-6 - don't be misguided by the age of the characters into thinking this is anywhere close to mature middle grade or YA.Īven continues to be a captivating leading lady. Does the age really make a difference in the quality of the novel? Nope, not really, and elementary and early middle school readers won't care. If Insignificant were set in 5th or 6th grade, then Momentous could have been set in Aven's first year of middle school, which would have read more age-appropriate. PK-12 Librarian note: Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus is set during Aven's first year of high school, and while this makes sense given Aven's age in Insignificant, I personally and professionally think the entire series could have been set much younger, given how young it reads.
I'll definitely be buying this for my elementary and middle school libraries. Overall, I raced through the story and loved the depth and breadth of the characters and setting. Mind you, this is a very important distinction as it takes us from and "issue" book to a "non-issue" book. (free review copy via ) I LOVED getting to go back into Aven's world and see how all of her friendships and other relationships evolved over time! Bowling expertly transitioned from a book ABOUT Aven's being differently abled (Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus) to a book about a teen girl's (who happens to have no arms) trials and tribulations.
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