The week before Mystery Readers are scheduled to visit the classroom, I ask them to write five facts about themselves. On Friday morning, I read the facts aloud to the class as clues for the students use to guess who the Mystery Reader will be on that day.

Here is a sample set of facts:

1. My favorite book as a child was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 
2. I was the youngest child in my family growing up. 
3. I have one dog as a pet. 
4. I love to watch American Idol with my family. 
5. My favorite family vacation is visiting our family cottage in the summer. 

After each fact, I let one or two students guess the reader, but I still do not reveal the Mystery Reader until all facts are read aloud. On days when no parents sign-up to read, I invite the principal, the custodian, members of my own family, or important people in the local community to read to the class.