BOOKS COME TO LIFE THROUGH THE SIMON KIDGITS CLUB'S BOOK BLAST EVENT AT GREAT MALL ON MARCH 5

Simon® is welcoming families to experience the magic of reading at the mall with the Simon Kidgits Club’s® annual Book Blast event, which will be held at Great Mall on Thursday, March 5 from 2 – 4 p.m. at the Neiman Marcus Court. Parents and children will bring books to life through special read-aloud sessions, giveaways and story-inspired activities.

Simon is also teaming up with Better World Books to provide each child who attends the event with a pre-loved book and bookmark to take home, while supplies last.

Simon Kidgits Club’s Book Blast will offer families the chance to make reading a fun, social experience with various kid-focused offerings. Book Blast event activities will kick off with an exciting read aloud session with local celebrities, dignitaries and characters. Children are also invited to bring a new or gently used book to the event to be donated, helping families give back to their own communities.

“Simon’s Kidgits Club is giving children the chance to experience all that books have to offer in a social setting,” said Jayne Stilson, assistant vice president of business development for Simon Brand Ventures, the business-to-consumer division of Simon Property Group. “We’re combining education with fun and allowing kids to simply have a blast with reading alongside their peers.”

The Simon Kidgits Club is a fun and informative program that focuses on health, wellness, education, safety and entertainment for children ages 3-8. Since 2003, the Simon Kidgits Club has kept children and parents alike amused with various events and activities while providing incentives for club members, such as special offers, rewards and games.

Kidgits Club members receive a variety of goodies, including a Kidgits Club T-shirt, membership card, birthday card and gift, discounts and scheduled activities. For more information about the Simon Kidgits Club, visit http://www.simon.com/kidgits/.

For more information on Great Mall, call (408) 956-2033 or visit www.greatmallofthebayarea.com.

About Great Mall

Great Mall, the largest outlet and value retail shopping destination in Northern California, provides the ultimate shopping experience with more than 200 outlet and value retail stores including Neiman Marcus Last Call, Coach, Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH, H&M, UNIQLO, Forever 21, Abercrombie & Fitch Outlet, Banana Republic Factory Store and Michael Kors. Shoppers can dine at great restaurants including Dave & Buster’s and Outback Steakhouse, or catch a movie at Century Theatres 20.

Great Mall, part of The Mills® portfolio owned by Simon, is located at the intersection of Montague Expressway, Great Mall Parkway and Main Street in Milpitas, CA, between Highways 680 and 880, about 7 miles north of San Jose and 46 miles southeast of San Francisco. It is open regularly 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., Mon–Sat, and 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Sunday. For more information on Great Mall, please call (408) 956-2033 or visit www.greatmallbayarea.com. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/GreatMall and follow us on Twitter @ShopGreatMall and on Instagram @ShopGreatMall.

About The Mills

The Mills®, a part of Simon, offers a unique brand of shopping with a mix of popular name brand outlets, value retailers and full-price stores, plus family-oriented dining and entertainment concepts. The Mills are well-located in major metropolitan markets and many are recognized as leading tourism destinations. Notable properties include Arundel Mills (Baltimore), Gurnee Mills (Chicago), Grapevine Mills (Dallas), Ontario Mills (Los Angeles), Opry Mills (Nashville), Potomac Mills (Washington, DC) and Sawgrass Mills (Ft. Lauderdale/Miami).

Simon is a global leader in retail real estate ownership, management and development and a S&P100 company (Simon Property Group, NYSE:SPG). Our industry-leading retail properties and investments across North America, Europe and Asia provide shopping experiences for millions of consumers every day and generate billions in annual retail sales. For more information, visit simon.com.

About Better World Books

Better World Books (www.BetterWorldBooks.com) is a for-profit social enterprise that collects and sells books online matching each purchase with a donation, book for book, and with each sale generating funds for literacy initiatives in the U.S. and around the world. One of their key programs which helps consumers contribute to supporting global literacy is through their Drop Box book collection program. By participating in the Drop Box program, both the host of each site and their non-profit literacy partner of choice will receive a portion of the sale of the collected books. Those books that can’t be sold are donated or recycled. Not one book will ever see a landfill.

# # #