Dusti Bowling

New friends and a mystery help Aven, thirteen, adjust to middle school and life at a dying western theme park in a new state, where her being born armless presents many challenges. Thirteen-year-old Aven was born without arms and has trouble fitting in at her new school after her parents take a job at a dying western theme park, but she makes a new friend in a fellow disabled boy who helps her solve a mystery at the park.

"High School. Two words that struck fear into the heart of every armless middle schooler I knew. Which was me. And like two people online."

The sequel to the critically acclaimed Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus follows Aven Green as she confronts yet another challenge: high school.
"Those preparing to 'slay the sucktastic beast known as high school' will particularly appreciate this spirited

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One girl sets out on a journey across the treacherous Arizona desert to rescue a young pilot stranded after a plane crash in this gripping story of survival, friendship, and rescue from a bestselling and award-winning author. Twelve-year-old Jolene spends every day she can at the library watching her favorite livestream: The Desert Aviator, where twelve-year-old "Addie Earhart" shares her adventures flying an ultralight plane over the desert. While...

"Aven knows she's an expert baker of cakes and cookies since she's been baking with her mom for a really long time. Plus no one bakes quite like her. She cracks eggs with her feet and measures sugar and flour with her feet (plus measuring cups) since she was born without arms. And now Aven has her eye on the prize: a beautiful blue ribbon for baking at the county fair. So she teams up with her friends Kayla, Emily, and Sujata. But It turns out they...

Aven Green, the remarkable heroine of Dusti Bowling's Life of a Cactus series, marches to her own beat in this hilarious, upbeat, and unforgettable chapter book.

"Realistic, affirming, and uplifting. "—Kirkus Reviews

Third-grader Aven Green is a real professional musician! She just needs to choose what instrument to play. When she decides to try the piano, Aven is disappointed when she can't master Mozart...

Now that third-grader Aven Green has retired from sleuthing, it's time to conquer a whole new world: baking!
Aven knows she's an expert baker of cakes and cookies since she's been baking with her mom for a really long time. Plus no one bakes quite like her. She cracks eggs with her feet and measures sugar and flour with her feet (plus measuring cups) since she was born without arms. And now Aven has her eye on the prize: a beautiful blue...

A year after the death of her mother in a restaurant shooting, Nora is left struggling to stay alive when a climbing trip with her father goes terribly wrong.