The Mitochondrial Curiosities of Marcels 1 to 19 by Jocelyn Brown

Dree's 15th birthday does not go at all as she had planned it. Her father had told her he was saving money in a special account for her and she intended to use the funds to fly to Toronto to attend the Renegade Craft Fair. Instead, her father died suddenly and so she was attending her father's memorial pancake breakfast in Edmonton. When Dree decides to search for the special account her father mentioned, she uncovers some pretty big family secrets.

Dree's voice is entertaining throughout her trials. "All of Edmonton is desolation as per usual, like the set of a low-budget apocalypse movie, so low-budget they used old white sheets for both the sky and the ground. [...] So I look up at the trees because trees are a sign of life, the symbol of life, are they not? Dead. I look at dead branches splayed against a milky sky, completely sinister, because it's all about pollution. And I think, as I do in moments of difficulty, about my blog, which features a weekly craft, as in, potentially, crafts for emotional release when you've missed the bus to your father's memorial and the skirt you made for it totally sucks and you've just turned fifteen meaning there could be another fifty or so years to go, and because of the planetary situation, not to mention your own psychological issues and recent crimes, which can't be considered just now, these fifty years will be more painful than even you can imagine. Something simple, I'm thinking. And soft. Maybe with fleece."

It's funny. It's angsty. It contains quirky handicraft instructions. I loved it and now I want one of those sock creatures named Marcel.