Louise Rennison Dies At Age 63

Sad news today in the literary world. Young adult author Louise Rennison has died at the age of 63. Best known for her Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series, which began with the iconic Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging, released in 1999 and made into a movie in 2008. Rennison was an incredibly hilarious and deeply insightful author, and she will be greatly missed.

In a statement, Rennison's publisher HarperCollins said: "Nobody wrote for teenagers like she did, she understood them, their lives and their extraordinary and powerful friendships. In life, as in her writing, she brought joy and laughter. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and the readers whose lives she has touched for almost 20 years."

Rennison grew up in Leeds and graduated from the Performing Arts College in Brighton before going on to work as a performer and comedian. Much of her work, including her Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series are semi-autobiographical and draw extensively on her real experiences, which might be why teenage girls around the world responded so strongly to her work. Rennison never shied away from difficult topics, either in writing or in person. She drew some controversy for being just as willing to talk about "boys and snogging" during school visits as in her writing, though Rennison maintained it shouldn't a surprise, given her work.

Rennison's work was not only massively popular among teen readers, but was also critically acclaimed as well. Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging won the Michael J. Printz honor Award in 2001, and Rennison was named the 2008 Queen of Teen.

In addition to the 10 books in the Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series, Rennison also published three novels in a spin-off series about Georgia's cousin, The Misadventures of Tallulah Casey.

Details of the circumstances surrounding Rennison's death are still scarce, but one thing is for sure: She will be truly missed.