BOOKS FOR TEENAGE GIRLS

Anything by author Louise Rennison would be a good addition to your birthday present drawer/Christmas present list (if it's not too early for that) if you have daughters.

She came in to Television Centre in July to talk about the end of the series of 10 diary-style confession books that had made her name.  They featured 14-year-old Georgia Nicholson - most notably in "Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging" which was made into the film titled "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging".

But her latest book is a departure. "Withering Tights" features new character Tallulah Casey. Tallulah is at a Performing Arts College in Yorkshire for the summer - something Louise has experienced, having been slated for her depiction of an embryo by her own tutor!  And the book explores Tallulah's antics.

Louise lives in Brighton but was brought up in a council house in Leeds and her family emigrated to New Zealand when she was 15.  She then moved to London and worked as a play leader, dental nurse, did some travelling and then went to a performing arts course in Brighton.

She toured with her autobiographical show "Stevie Wonder Felt My Face" at Edinburgh Festival and it was made into a BBC2 special.

She has worked for Radio 4, Woman's Hour & the John Peel Show & has written for well-known comedians.  And it's her style of writing that's made her a bestseller among the sort of teenage girls who are just starting to get obsessed with boys.

I love this description for instance: "Alex had everything a dream boy should have. Back, front, side. A head."

* The Georgia series has sold 1.7 million copies in the UK alone
* She was shortlisted for this year's Queen of Teen authors' prize alongside 9 others including Jacqueline Wilson and Cathy Cassidy.
* She previously won this (it's been going since 2008) & as it's decided upon by teenagers' nominations and an online vote, there's some kudos here.
* She says she loves hanging out with teenagers for her research - "the best fun known to humanity".
* Has great anecdote about living in NZ above the geothermal geezers that used to make their al fresco dining a table-lurching experience.
* On the website http://www.georgia-nicolson.co.uk/media/ she interacts with readers and there are several video clips of her chatting
* British comedian/actor Alan Davies plays Georgia's father in the film "Angus"
* There must have been issues around the title as the film was called "On the Bright Side, I'm now the Girlfriend of a Sex God" in the US.
* She talks about her own first boyfriend and the time she bleached her hair and some of it fell out (a scene repeated in "Angus").
* Publishers: HarperCollins

REVIEWS
On Angus: "Bridget Jones for teenagers - but funnier. Expect Potter-esque queues for the sequel."
On the Georgia Nicholson series: "Either these books make you chortle like a loon in loon pants or you live on another planet."

So, inspiration for writers and food for thought for readers.