diff --git a/confluent_kafka/avro/__init__.py b/confluent_kafka/avro/__init__.py
index e23367c90..06c439fc8 100644
--- a/confluent_kafka/avro/__init__.py
+++ b/confluent_kafka/avro/__init__.py
@@ -98,9 +98,11 @@ class AvroConsumer(Consumer):
     Constructor takes below parameters
 
     :param dict config: Config parameters containing url for schema registry (``schema.registry.url``)
-                        and the standard Kafka client configuration (``bootstrap.servers`` et.al).
+                        and the standard Kafka client configuration (``bootstrap.servers`` et.al)
+    :param optional a reader schema for the message key
+    :param optional a reader schema for the message value
     """
-    def __init__(self, config, schema_registry=None):
+    def __init__(self, config, schema_registry=None, reader_key_schema=None, reader_value_schema=None):
 
         schema_registry_url = config.pop("schema.registry.url", None)
         schema_registry_ca_location = config.pop("schema.registry.ssl.ca.location", None)
@@ -119,7 +121,7 @@ def __init__(self, config, schema_registry=None):
             raise ValueError("Cannot pass schema_registry along with schema.registry.url config")
 
         super(AvroConsumer, self).__init__(config)
-        self._serializer = MessageSerializer(schema_registry)
+        self._serializer = MessageSerializer(schema_registry, reader_key_schema, reader_value_schema)
 
     def poll(self, timeout=None):
         """
@@ -139,9 +141,9 @@ def poll(self, timeout=None):
             return message
         if not message.error():
             if message.value() is not None:
-                decoded_value = self._serializer.decode_message(message.value())
+                decoded_value = self._serializer.decode_message(message.value(), is_key=False)
                 message.set_value(decoded_value)
             if message.key() is not None:
-                decoded_key = self._serializer.decode_message(message.key())
+                decoded_key = self._serializer.decode_message(message.key(), is_key=True)
                 message.set_key(decoded_key)
         return message
diff --git a/confluent_kafka/avro/serializer/message_serializer.py b/confluent_kafka/avro/serializer/message_serializer.py
index 13cfc6306..085b78fb2 100644
--- a/confluent_kafka/avro/serializer/message_serializer.py
+++ b/confluent_kafka/avro/serializer/message_serializer.py
@@ -68,10 +68,12 @@ class MessageSerializer(object):
     All decode_* methods expect a buffer received from kafka.
     """
 
-    def __init__(self, registry_client):
+    def __init__(self, registry_client, reader_key_schema=None, reader_value_schema=None):
         self.registry_client = registry_client
         self.id_to_decoder_func = {}
         self.id_to_writers = {}
+        self.reader_key_schema = reader_key_schema
+        self.reader_value_schema = reader_value_schema
 
     '''
 
@@ -151,25 +153,29 @@ def encode_record_with_schema_id(self, schema_id, record, is_key=False):
             return outf.getvalue()
 
     # Decoder support
-    def _get_decoder_func(self, schema_id, payload):
+    def _get_decoder_func(self, schema_id, payload, is_key=False):
         if schema_id in self.id_to_decoder_func:
             return self.id_to_decoder_func[schema_id]
 
-        # fetch from schema reg
+        # fetch writer schema from schema reg
         try:
-            schema = self.registry_client.get_by_id(schema_id)
+            writer_schema_obj = self.registry_client.get_by_id(schema_id)
         except ClientError as e:
             raise SerializerError("unable to fetch schema with id %d: %s" % (schema_id, str(e)))
 
-        if schema is None:
+        if writer_schema_obj is None:
             raise SerializerError("unable to fetch schema with id %d" % (schema_id))
 
         curr_pos = payload.tell()
+
+        reader_schema_obj = self.reader_key_schema if is_key else self.reader_value_schema
+
         if HAS_FAST:
             # try to use fast avro
             try:
-                schema_dict = schema.to_json()
-                schemaless_reader(payload, schema_dict)
+                writer_schema = writer_schema_obj.to_json()
+                reader_schema = reader_schema_obj.to_json()
+                schemaless_reader(payload, writer_schema)
 
                 # If we reach this point, this means we have fastavro and it can
                 # do this deserialization. Rewind since this method just determines
@@ -177,7 +183,8 @@ def _get_decoder_func(self, schema_id, payload):
                 # normal path.
                 payload.seek(curr_pos)
 
-                self.id_to_decoder_func[schema_id] = lambda p: schemaless_reader(p, schema_dict)
+                self.id_to_decoder_func[schema_id] = lambda p: schemaless_reader(
+                    p, writer_schema, reader_schema)
                 return self.id_to_decoder_func[schema_id]
             except Exception:
                 # Fast avro failed, fall thru to standard avro below.
@@ -186,7 +193,13 @@ def _get_decoder_func(self, schema_id, payload):
         # here means we should just delegate to slow avro
         # rewind
         payload.seek(curr_pos)
-        avro_reader = avro.io.DatumReader(schema)
+        # Avro DatumReader py2/py3 inconsistency, hence no param keywords
+        # should be revisited later
+        # https://github.com/apache/avro/blob/master/lang/py3/avro/io.py#L459
+        # https://github.com/apache/avro/blob/master/lang/py/src/avro/io.py#L423
+        # def __init__(self, writers_schema=None, readers_schema=None)
+        # def __init__(self, writer_schema=None, reader_schema=None)
+        avro_reader = avro.io.DatumReader(writer_schema_obj, reader_schema_obj)
 
         def decoder(p):
             bin_decoder = avro.io.BinaryDecoder(p)
@@ -195,7 +208,7 @@ def decoder(p):
         self.id_to_decoder_func[schema_id] = decoder
         return self.id_to_decoder_func[schema_id]
 
-    def decode_message(self, message):
+    def decode_message(self, message, is_key=False):
         """
         Decode a message from kafka that has been encoded for use with
         the schema registry.
@@ -212,5 +225,5 @@ def decode_message(self, message):
             magic, schema_id = struct.unpack('>bI', payload.read(5))
             if magic != MAGIC_BYTE:
                 raise SerializerError("message does not start with magic byte")
-            decoder_func = self._get_decoder_func(schema_id, payload)
+            decoder_func = self._get_decoder_func(schema_id, payload, is_key)
             return decoder_func(payload)
diff --git a/examples/integration_test.py b/examples/integration_test.py
index 3ed4fe721..f83ada9ca 100755
--- a/examples/integration_test.py
+++ b/examples/integration_test.py
@@ -328,7 +328,6 @@ def verify_avro():
     for i, combo in enumerate(combinations):
         combo['topic'] = str(uuid.uuid4())
         p.produce(**combo)
-        p.poll(0)
         p.flush()
 
         # Create consumer
@@ -1202,9 +1201,117 @@ def verify_config(expconfig, configs):
     print("Topic {} marked for deletion".format(our_topic))
 
 
-# Exclude throttle since from default list
+def verify_avro_explicit_read_schema():
+    """ verify that reading Avro with explicit reader schema works"""
+    from confluent_kafka import avro
+    avsc_dir = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), os.pardir, 'tests', 'avro')
+
+    # Producer config
+    conf = {'bootstrap.servers': bootstrap_servers,
+            'error_cb': error_cb,
+            'api.version.request': api_version_request,
+            'default.topic.config': {'produce.offset.report': True}}
+
+    # Create producer
+    if schema_registry_url:
+        conf['schema.registry.url'] = schema_registry_url
+        p = avro.AvroProducer(conf)
+    else:
+        p = avro.AvroProducer(conf, schema_registry=InMemorySchemaRegistry())
+
+    key_schema = avro.load(os.path.join(avsc_dir, "primitive_float.avsc"))
+    schema1 = avro.load(os.path.join(avsc_dir, "user_v1.avsc"))
+    schema2 = avro.load(os.path.join(avsc_dir, "user_v2.avsc"))
+    float_value = 32.
+    val = {
+        "name": "abc",
+        "favorite_number": 42,
+        "favorite_colo": "orange"
+    }
+    val1 = {
+        "name": "abc"
+    }
+
+    combinations = [
+        dict(value=val, value_schema=schema2, key=float_value, key_schema=key_schema,
+             reader_value_schema=schema1, reader_key_schema=key_schema),
+        dict(value=val1, value_schema=schema1, key=float_value, key_schema=key_schema,
+             reader_value_schema=schema2, reader_key_schema=key_schema),
+    ]
+
+    # Consumer config
+    cons_conf = {'bootstrap.servers': bootstrap_servers,
+                 'group.id': 'test.py',
+                 'session.timeout.ms': 6000,
+                 'enable.auto.commit': False,
+                 'api.version.request': api_version_request,
+                 'on_commit': print_commit_result,
+                 'error_cb': error_cb,
+                 'default.topic.config': {
+                     'auto.offset.reset': 'earliest'
+                 }}
+
+    for i, combo in enumerate(combinations):
+        reader_key_schema = combo.pop("reader_key_schema")
+        reader_value_schema = combo.pop("reader_value_schema")
+        combo['topic'] = str(uuid.uuid4())
+        p.produce(**combo)
+        p.poll(0)
+        p.flush()
+
+        # Create consumer
+        conf = copy(cons_conf)
+        if schema_registry_url:
+            conf['schema.registry.url'] = schema_registry_url
+            c = avro.AvroConsumer(
+                        conf,
+                        reader_key_schema=reader_key_schema,
+                        reader_value_schema=reader_value_schema)
+        else:
+            c = avro.AvroConsumer(
+                conf,
+                schema_registry=InMemorySchemaRegistry(),
+                reader_key_schema=reader_key_schema,
+                reader_value_schema=reader_value_schema)
+
+        c.subscribe([combo['topic']])
+
+        while True:
+            msg = c.poll(0)
+            if msg is None:
+                continue
+
+            if msg.error():
+                if msg.error().code() == confluent_kafka.KafkaError._PARTITION_EOF:
+                    break
+                else:
+                    continue
+
+            tstype, timestamp = msg.timestamp()
+            print('%s[%d]@%d: key=%s, value=%s, tstype=%d, timestamp=%s' %
+                  (msg.topic(), msg.partition(), msg.offset(),
+                   msg.key(), msg.value(), tstype, timestamp))
+
+            # omit empty Avro fields from payload for comparison
+            record_key = msg.key()
+            record_value = msg.value()
+            if isinstance(msg.key(), dict):
+                record_key = {k: v for k, v in msg.key().items() if v is not None}
+
+            if isinstance(msg.value(), dict):
+                record_value = {k: v for k, v in msg.value().items() if v is not None}
+
+            assert combo.get('key') == record_key
+            assert combo.get('value')['name'] == record_value['name']
+            c.commit(msg, asynchronous=False)
+        # Close consumer
+        c.close()
+    pass
+
+
 default_modes = ['consumer', 'producer', 'avro', 'performance', 'admin']
 all_modes = default_modes + ['throttle', 'avro-https', 'none']
+
 """All test modes"""
 
 
@@ -1315,6 +1422,9 @@ def resolve_envs(_conf):
         print('=' * 30, 'Verifying AVRO', '=' * 30)
         verify_avro()
 
+        print('=' * 30, 'Verifying AVRO with explicit reader schema', '=' * 30)
+        verify_avro_explicit_read_schema()
+
     if 'avro-https' in modes:
         print('=' * 30, 'Verifying AVRO with HTTPS', '=' * 30)
         verify_avro_https()
diff --git a/tests/avro/user_v1.avsc b/tests/avro/user_v1.avsc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e382e1b02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/avro/user_v1.avsc
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{
+ "type": "record",
+ "name": "UserKey",
+ "aliases": ["User"],
+ "fields": [
+     {"name": "name", "type": "string"}
+ ]
+}
diff --git a/tests/avro/user_v2.avsc b/tests/avro/user_v2.avsc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..78f2419f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/avro/user_v2.avsc
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+{
+ "type": "record",
+ "name": "User",
+ "aliases": ["UserKey"],
+ "fields": [
+     {"name": "name", "type": "string"},
+     {"name": "favorite_number",  "type": ["null", "int"], "default": null},
+     {"name": "favorite_color", "type": ["null", "string"], "default": null}
+ ]
+}