Ask community and business leaders, fellow teachers and parents to become a mystery reader. The children will see diversity when they look at the mystery readers while learning about the people who build the community where they live. Members of the city council, people from the mayor's office, journalists and librarians may be willing to donate an hour to the mystery reader program. Request parents and grandparents of third-graders fill in when "famous" community members can't attend.
Use riddles and other clues to help children discover the mystery reader's identity. Simple clues such as "I am 6 foot 1 inch tall" and "I have a chihuahua" are informative, yet vague enough to add excitement about each mystery reader. Create three to five clues, riddles or puzzles to pique the third-graders' curiosity. For the final clue about the mystery reader's identity, make a picture puzzle out of a poster-sized image of the mystery reader. The kids can visualize the reader before story time.
Whether you select a theme before inviting a mystery reader or allow each mystery reader to choose the book that will be read, print a list of books commonly read in the third grade. Or select a mystery chapter book and ask each mystery reader to read a chapter of the story. Another option is to select a book of short mystery stories and ask each reader to choose a story to read.
After each mystery reader invests time with the third-graders, have the children send a thank you note. They can make and sign a giant card, create a card quilt by taping together pictures they've made or send a signed copy of the book that was read to them. Another idea is creating an email thank-you note complete with comments from the third-graders stating how each liked the story, the way the story was read or the lesson of the story.