The Greater Rochester

Teen Book Festival

"To foster a community effort to celebrate and promote reading by connecting teens and authors."

Vivian Vande Velde                          Book List

Vivian Vande Velde has lived in Rochester, NY for almost her entire life. After her marriage to Jim Vande Velde and the birth of her daughter Beth, Vande Velde quit her job as a secretary. Since she was home all day, she had to either take housework more seriously or come up with a good excuse why she couldn't.

So she wrote her first book, A Hidden Magic. Vande Velde thought writing it was difficult enough, but getting the finished book published was even harder! “I sent it out to 32 different publishers over a two-year period, before number 33 said yes.” said Vande Velde on her website.

However she did not become discouraged, and to this day has seen over 25 of her books in print!