Barnes & Noble Partners with American Girl for “Truly Talented You” Event for Girls Ages 8 & up in March

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), one of the nation’s largest booksellers and the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced the company will be teaming up with American Girl to present “Truly Talented You,” an event for girls ages 8 and up, in all of Barnes & Noble’s nearly 700 stores from March 8-15. Through activities, journaling and crafts, this free workshop will help girls learn to recognize, appreciate, and celebrate their own special talents with the help of American Girl’s newest Girl of the Year®, Isabelle Palmer. Isabelle is a dynamic, talented girl who loves dance and fashion design. When Isabelle doubts her skill as a dancer, she uses her love of design to remind herself that everyone’s talents are unique, and a person shouldn’t compare herself to others. Participants will also receive an American Girl poster of Isabelle.

American Girl, a leader in providing top advice books for girls, developed the events using content from the Isabelle book series by award-winning author Laurence Yep and several of their advice and activities books, which have been hugely popular with girls and parents at Barnes & Noble.

“American Girl is dedicated to celebrating the potential of girls ages 3 to 12 with fantastic resources,” said Sarah DiFrancesco, Vice President of Business Development for Barnes & Noble. “We’re thrilled to partner with American Girl on a nationwide event that will encourage girls to develop and celebrate their own special talents—and dream, grow, aspire, create and imagine.”

Space and free promotional items are limited at this event. Parents and girls interested in participating may contact their local store for details on how to sign up. Visit www.bn.com/storelocator for store locations and additional details. Events are free and open to the public. No purchase is required to participate.

Visitors to www.BN.com can also explore the other titles in the American Girl family of insightful books and age-appropriate and educational products, many also available as NOOK Books®.

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 663 Barnes & Noble bookstores in 50 states, and one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites, BN.com (www.bn.com). Its NOOK Media LLC subsidiary is a leader in the emerging digital reading and digital education markets. The 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 696 bookstores serving over 4.6 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States. Barnes & Noble is proud to be named a J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Customer Service Champion and is only one of 50 U.S. companies so named. Barnes & Noble.com is ranked the number one online retailer in customer satisfaction in the book, music and video category and a Top 10 online retailer overall in customer satisfaction according to ForeSee E-Retail Satisfaction Index (Spring Top 100 Edition).

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

About American Girl

American Girl is a premium brand for girls and a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT, www.mattel.com), the world’s leading toy company. Since its inception in 1986, American Girl has been devoted to celebrating girls ages 3 to 12 through age-appropriate, high-quality dolls and accessories, books, clothes, movies, and unforgettable experiences. Best-selling lines include My American Girl®, Girl of the Year®, Bitty Baby®, and its classic historical characters. Headquartered in Middleton, WI, the company sells products exclusively through its award-winning catalogue, on americangirl.com, and in its experiential retail stores. By inspiring girls to be their best, American Girl has earned the loyalty of millions of girls and the praise and trust of parents and educators. To learn more about American Girl or request a free catalogue, call 1-800-845-0005 or visit www.americangirl.com, www.facebook.com/americangirl, or www.twitter.com/american_girl