Cover of Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

by Dusti Bowling · Grades 3–5

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling is on US reading lists at grades 3–5. It appears on 5 lists: 5 book-award lists, across 5 states. Every citation below links to the primary source.

Buy on Amazon

Formats on Amazon

Free at your library: Libby

Before you buy: Grades 3–5 · 200 pages. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9781454923466). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.

Listen free on Audiblestarts instantly

Audible trial: new members only. As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you.

Among the most widely assigned — 6 curriculum lists · 5 states

Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).

On reading-award lists:Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice AwardWilliam Allen White Children's Book AwardUtah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction)Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award+2 more

This page shows where Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Reading level at a glance

Grade range
Grades 3–5
Pages
200
Reading time
about 3h 40m (est.)
First published
2017
ISBN-13
9781454923466

Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-09-24; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.

Good fit for grade 3?

If you have read it with a child or a class in this grade, tell other parents and teachers. One tap, no account.

New to these terms? Reading levels by grade

More formats & details

Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook

As an Amazon Associate, ReadingList earns from qualifying purchases and membership trials at no extra cost to you. Pricing, Prime, and trial terms shown on Amazon.

About this book

Book facts and sources (5)
Award won
  • William Allen White Children's Book Award, 2020 (source: Wikipedia)
On award reading lists
  • Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award (source: Wikipedia)
  • Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction) (source: clau.org)
  • Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award (source: nutmegaward.org)
  • Land of Enchantment Book Award (source: sites.google.com)
Catalog record
First published 2017 · 200 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)

Similar grade-level books

See all books like Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Where this book is recommended

Was this page helpful?

Common questions

What grade level is Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus?
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus is listed for grades 3–5. It appears on 6 book-award lists across 5 states, from grade 3 to grade 8. Exact placement varies by school and district.
How long does it take to read Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus?
It takes about 3h 40m to read Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus (200 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 220 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus?
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus appears on reading lists for Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award, Land of Enchantment Book Award, Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award, and 2 others. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus banned in schools?
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus has documented removals from at least one public-school district in 1 state (FL) per PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. Policies vary by district.

Why this book is on this list

How we classify

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure
Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
Grade band
Grades 3–5 — drawn from the book-award lists citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 6 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
On state book-award lists in 5 states (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
Documented as challenged or removed in 1 state per PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans — see the full banned & challenged books list.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: award-winner, book-club, read-aloud.

Keep browsing

Find ReadingList in your Google results more often: