Will Aspiring Kid Comedian Jamie Grimm Get His Own TV Show? Barnes & Noble and James Patterson Come Together to Help Beloved Character Jamie Grimm of the I Funny Series Fulfill His Dream with an Exclusive Joke Drive

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the nation’s largest retail bookseller and the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced an exclusive I Totally Funniest Joke Drive at Barnes & Noble stores across the country. Barnes & Noble is joining forces with James Patterson, the record-breaking bestselling author, to launch the I Totally Funniest Joke Drive in an effort to help Jamie Grimm, the main character in the bestselling I Funny series for young readers, fulfill his dream of getting his own TV show.

Jamie Grimm is a middle schooler on a mission: he wants to become the world's greatest stand-up comedian. To support his quest, customers are invited to visit any Barnes & Noble location to submit their favorite joke, funny caption or one-liner via the Joke Drive Activity Sheet provided at the I Totally Funniest Joke Drive Box. The activity sheet can also be downloaded at www.bn.com/jokedrive and then filled out and brought to any Barnes & Noble store for submission. Customers who submit a joke will receive an I Totally Funniest sticker, while supplies last. Family-friendly jokes will be displayed in local Barnes & Noble stores throughout the month.

James Patterson is so excited about the I Totally Funniest Joke Drive that he provided the following exclusive letter to Barnes & Noble customers:

The I Funny series follows Jamie as he moves to a new town where he’s stuck living with his aunt, uncle, and their son Stevie, a bully who doesn't let Jamie's wheelchair stop him from messing with Jamie as much as possible. But Jamie doesn't let his situation get him down. He has big dreams of being the best stand-up comic in the world, and after winning the state finals in the Planet's Funniest Kid Comic Contest, Jamie scores big on national TV in the semifinals. In I Totally Funniest, the latest installment in the I Funny series, the pressure is on Jamie to come up with his best material ever to snag the final win in Hollywood and fulfill his dream of getting his own TV show – and that’s where Barnes & Noble’s customers come in.

“We’re thrilled to team up with James Patterson to invite our customers across the country to submit their jokes in support of Jamie Grimm, the hugely popular character from the bestselling I Funny series,” said Mary Amicucci, Vice President, Adult Trade and Children’s Books, Barnes & Noble. “Jamie, the star of the I Funny series, needs the help of Barnes & Noble customers to get his own TV show, and we know they will come out in force to submit their best material at their local store so we can make Jamie’s dream come true!”

Parents and guardians are encouraged to take pictures of their child with their Joke Drive activity sheet and post the photos on social media using the hashtag #BNJokeDrive. Customers are also encouraged to share their jokes, funny captions or one-liners on social media via #BNJokeDrive and to follow Barnes & Noble on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, and like Barnes & Noble on Facebook, for the latest information on the I Totally Funniest Joke Drive.

To discover more about the I Totally Funniest Joke Drive, visit www.bn.com/jokedrive. Local stores may also have special events to support the I Totally Funniest Joke Drive, so visit the Barnes & Noble Store Locator for more information.

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS) is a Fortune 500 company and the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products. The Company operates 658 Barnes & Noble bookstores in 50 states, and one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites, BN.com (www.bn.com). Its NOOK digital business offers award-winning NOOK® products and an expansive collection of digital reading and entertainment content through the NOOK Store® (www.nook.com), while Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC operates 714 bookstores serving over five million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States.

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained by visiting the Company's corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

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