Today, Barnes & Noble announced their new NOOK Kids Summer Reading Program. If you purchase any NOOK tablet at a Barnes & Noble store between June 18th and September 2nd, you’ll receive free downloads of three different bestselling children and teen book collections designed to keep your kids busy reading all summer long.

Each collection will be offered for a limited time and is divided into three age-appropriate groups:

* June 18 through July 15: Summer Reading Collection for Ages 7-12
* July 16 through August 5: Summer Reading Collection for Teens
* August 6 through September 2: Picture books for young readers

The first collection of titles, available June 18 through July 15, is specially designed for readers ages seven through 12 and features the following perennial favorites and bestsellers by popular authors:

* Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
* The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus series No. 1) by Jonathan Stroud
* Disney after Dark (Kingdom Keepers series No. 1) by Ridley Pearson
* Judy Moody & Stink: Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure Hunt by Megan McDonald
* The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies
* Just Grace by Charise Mericle Harper

Jim Hilt, Vice President of eBooks for Barnes & Noble comments on the summer reading program:

“We are excited to bring together our award-winning NOOK Tablet and this fantastic free collection of bestselling titles so children can start building their summer reading library,”

“With this offer, we will create lifetime readers by delivering great content into the hands of young readers through an engaging and interactive digital experience.”

It’s a limited time offer and applies to new purchases of both the NOOK Tablet 16GB ($249) and the NOOK Tablet 8GB ($199). So, if you were thinking about getting a NOOK tablet anyway, this promotion adds a little value to the deal, and it will probably keep your kids entertained for a good chunk of time in the process.