Margaret Mahy, 1936-2012.

I can't even.

This year is the pits.

From the Guardian:

"There was such scope and depth in what she did," said Corbalis. "She confronted any topic in her writing, particularly for older children, and she had a tremendous sense of fun, underpinned by a very high intelligence. She was interested in science, in the nature of death – all sorts of things. She was very widely read."

From Misrule:

You know I have other favourite children’s authors, most notably Diana Wynne Jones, and now we’ve lost both her and Margaret. And as I write this, I keep remembering all the connections between their work—Chants and Changeovers and so on.

I’m more than a little bit heart-broken.

There'll be many more tributes: I'll add them as I find them.