ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- This Columbus Day holiday will be one for the books when kids gather at Borders and Waldenbooks stores nationwide Monday, Oct. 12 at 4 p.m. for in-store parties to celebrate the hotly anticipated release of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days," the fourth book in the Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. The ultra-popular series, which also includes "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw," features the snarky and hilarious journal entries of character, middle schooler and middle child Greg Heffley.
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The parties will include such activities as trivia, games, cartoon drawing activities and even a Greg lookalike contest. Of course, customers will be able to buy "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" as well as the other titles in the series, but only Borders offers a customizable Wimpy Kid cotton t-shirt featuring an image of Greg with a "word" bubble that kids can personalize using the washable-ink marker that accompanies the shirt. The ink easily comes off in the wash so kids can customize their Wimpy Kid shirts again and again with a saying or favorite quote from the books. The shirt, which is only available at Borders and Waldenbooks, retails for $5.99 with a purchase of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days," and $9.99 separately while supplies last.
Party highlights
The parties will officially kick off with a special welcome message from Jeff Kinney. Then, kids can delight in talking about their favorite characters and scenes in all of the Wimpy Kid books -- and weigh in on what they would like to see happen in the upcoming "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" feature film. The afternoon will kick into high gear when ardent Wimpy Kid fans demonstrate their extensive knowledge of Greg, Rowley, Rodrick and their wacky experiences during the Trivia Challenge. After the adrenaline-pumping trivia heats, fans can tap the right side of their brains and create their own cartoon books. Rounding out the event will be a Greg lookalike contest where fans will be judged on how much they resemble Greg.
Importantly, Borders will help welcome an expected 3,000 Wimpy Kid fans at the Rhode Island Convention Center where author Jeff Kinney will begin his book tour. Borders is the exclusive retailer for the event.
Twitter giveaway
Beginning Oct. 12 through Oct. 16, Borders will give away 20 free signed copies of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days" via Twitter. Each day Borders will tweet four store locations where one lucky reader will be able to claim the book at that location by approaching a cashier and uttering the password: "cheese touch." The first person to say the password will receive a free signed copy of the book.
"We're thrilled to bring our customers together to celebrate the release of 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days,'" said Kathryn Popoff, vice president of books for Borders. "We're happy to support the books and look forward to many more installments in the Wimpy Kid series."
About Borders Group, Inc.
Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., Borders Group, Inc. is a leading specialty retailer of books as well as other educational and entertainment items. The company employs approximately 25,000 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders® and Waldenbooks® stores. Online shopping is offered through borders.com. Find author interviews and vibrant discussions of the products we and our customers are passionate about online at facebook.com/borders, twitter.com/bordersmedia and youtube.com/bordersmedia. For more information about the company, visit borders.com/media.
Borders
CONTACT: Mary Davis, Borders, +1-734-477-1374
Web Site: http://www.borders.com/
