A mummy in the music room? That’s what kids at Sea Cliff School saw on November 2 at the school’s secret reader event. Since the mummy couldn’t speak, he chose two fifth graders, Dylan Roth and Aidan Kiggins, to read If You’re A Monster and You Know It. The mummy “was acting things out and growling,” says Dylan. “Because the whole book was kind of a song, like ‘The Monster Hokey Pokey,’ he made me do a beat on the drums.”
Once Dylan and Aidan finished the book it was time to take off the wraps. Kids realized it was Chris Zublionis, the school principal. “The message that I shared as secret reader is that what we might think is scary at first, could be a truly exciting possibility,” says Mr. Z. Mr. Z. also read What Do You Do With an Idea?, but this time as himself. The secret reader is a highlight of the Scholastic Book Fair, which the school hosts each year to encourage reading and pay for author visits. Kids visit the library during the day with their class to buy books. On the book fair family night, kids bring their families, and meet the secret reader. This year’s book fair had a monster theme.