Yesterday was a big day here at First Book as Vintage Veronica (ISBN 978-0-375-85923-6; Knopf, 2010) written by our very own Erica S. Perl, hit bookstores.  The book is about Veronica Walsh, a “fashion-minded, fat and friendless” fifteen-year old whose summer working at The Clothing Bonanza, a vintage clothing store inspired by The Garment District in Cambridge, MA, pulls her in directions she never imagined.  There’s the Nail, the animal-loving stock boy, Zoe and Ginger, the over-the-top salesgirls, and Bill, who Erica describes as the “elder statesmen of the store.”  As Veronica gets pulled and pushed by peer pressure, she discovers more about herself than she ever thought she would.

“I have always loved vintage clothing,” says Erica.  “When I visited the Garment District I had the idea to write about the behind the scenes life of the store and a girl finding herself  in that situation.” And with a swirl of interesting characters and little vintage clothing thrown in, Vintage Veronica is the perfect book for any teen wrestling with the trials and tribulations of adolescence.

To celebrate the release, there will be book signings in three cities: Washington, DC, New York City and Boston (at the store that inspired the book, The Garment District).  Erica is also partnering with First Book and Random House to help raise awareness that First Book is not only here to help little ones, but older children and teens as well.

Here at First Book, we are proud to have an author on staff and excited for teens to enjoy a page-turner like Vintage Veronica so they can fall in love with reading.

If you would like to win your very own signed copy of Vintage Veronica (and let’s be honest here, who wouldn’t?) post a comment in response to this blog post and one lucky winner will be selected at random to receive a signed copy of the book!