Edinburgh, 1736. In the town's grim prison, the Heart of Midlothian, two
prisoners await execution. Captain Porteous of the Town Guard has been
sentenced to death for ordering his soldiers to open fire on Edinburgh
citizens. He hopes for reprieve. The people want revenge. Effie Deans,
wrongly accused of killing her new-born baby, will die unless her sister
Jeanie tells a lie. Jeanie, determined to save her sister, makes a
terrifying journey as Effie's life hangs in the balance. Will the two
prisoners get the justice they deserve?
Real Reads are accessible texts designed to support the literacy
development of primary and lower secondary age children while
introducing them to the riches of our international literary heritage.
Each book is a retelling of a work of great literature from one of the
world's greatest cultures, fitted into a 64-page book, making classic
stories, dramas and histories available to intelligent young readers as
a bridge to the full texts, to language students wanting access to other
cultures, and to adult readers who are unlikely ever to read the
original versions.