Many of my former Room 15 rotters will recognize my classroom play, The Tell-Tale Heart. A newly revised version appears in the September 5th Back-to-School issue of Scholastic’s Scope Magazine.  Scope editor Kristin Lewis says your Mr. Lewis “hit just the right note with  his adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic short story … somewhere between totally disturbing and totally delightful.” This traditional re-telling of the gothic masterpiece has previously appeared in Storyworks and Scholastic News, but it has been “aged-up” for Scope’s middle school audience. Add to that Lisa Weber’s equally delightful and disturbing illustrations, and you’ve got a classroom hit.  It’s September arrival will allow us time to prepare it for a Halloween performance–but with any luck, it’ll be one of many plays undertaken by this year’s crop of CPE kids.

To see a copy, try clicking on the cover. Middle school teachers can get a class set by become ing Scope subscribers (click here.) It’s also available in Read-Aloud Plays: Classic Short Stories.