This is the first of eight novels narrated journal-style by Aurélie Laflamme, a confused, but sweetly engaging, 14-year-old living in a city in Quebec (unnamed, but apparently Montreal). Aurélie’s father died suddenly five years earlier and she and her loving, but harried, mother are both still grieving. But Aurélie, who is gamely trying to understand death through both religious and secular terms, has recently come to the conclusion that her father, did not die, but simply went home to his original planet. She figures that this must mean she is an “extra-terrestre” as well. After all, at her all-girls’ school where she is in grade 9, she has been feeling pretty alien lately. Her best friend Kat has found a boyfriend (un chum) with whom she now spends most of her time when she isn’t regaling Aurélie with details of how they kiss or frencher. (In France, French-kissing has an entirely different term, but in Quebec, Americanized English has prevailed once again). Aurélie isn’t doing so well in school, and her various misdeeds have drawn her mother into the principal’s office a few times. Now she fears her mother may be dating (beurk!) the stern, bald Monsieur Beaulieu. Worst of all, Aurélie has a little crush on a cute local boy (though she denies it), but every time she gets near him, she seems to make some kind of egregiously embarrassing social gaffe. But the cute guy works in a pet store where there is a litter of adorable kittens. Christmas is coming and Aurélie loves a specific kitten, but her mother says no, and how will this play out? I am pleased that India Desjardin’s series has become as popular as it has in the French-speaking world. (This first volume has been made into a 2011 Quebecois film, which I think is perfectly cast and totally charming). This novel testifies on every page how delightfully North American the French-speaking contemporary society of Quebec really is. Despite the determination of most Quebecois to preserve the French language (and they should), they speak a mélange of French and pop culture American English: “C’est cute,” “C’est trop cool,” "C’est plus fun,” “Je ne veux pas être loser,” "C'est un freak . . . un nerd . . . un twit . . . un bum, C'est un joke", "J'ai l'air wanna-be", "Kat est hot" Il est vraiment sweet" . . . "Whatever!" . . . "Yes!", and many, many more mixed expressions that make the Quebecois unique as francophones on the American continent. At a Halloween party, Aurélie and her friends eat "les carrés de Rice Krispies en forme de personnages avec des Smarties oranges et noirs pour faire les faces" and some of the kids dance "le slow." But there is European French influence in Aurélie’s life, too. For example, her grandmother makes the best crêpes, and on Christmas Eve, Aurélie and her mother celebrate with a dinner of luscious fondu. I can’t think of a more charming way to illustrate this appealing mixture of modern Quebec speech and culture than through Aurélie’s personality and adventures, and I am looking forward to reading the next seven books in the series!