Biology is not Dree's thing. Equally heinous are English, Social Studies, her sister and mother, not to mention Edmonton in general. Toronto is where she belongs – specifically the upcoming Renegade Craft Fair where, finally, her crafts will be appreciated.

Escape is imminent: on her 15th birthday, she will get the special fund her father promised, and the day after that she'll be on Westjet Flight 233 to Toronto. Instead, her dad has a fatal heart attack, and all she finds are clues leading to the ominous Alberta Psychiatric Hospital where her parents once worked. As Dree tries to unearth a mystery, and to knit herself a passing mark in science, she keeps searching for the money, and for a way to grieve her father.

Told in a fresh, frank voice, The Mitochondrial Curiosities of Marcels 1 to 19 is a wry, adventurous, unflinching look at the trials of teenage life.

Instructions for renegade crafts included.