Role-plays and other dramatic activities fulfill tweens' urge to try out different life roles, to explore the world beyond their own reality, and to learn new areas of competence. Wilhelm's research into reading and motivation has shown that students value learning that they can see as immediately meaningful. He argues that drama strategies bring meaning and purpose to learning. The article describes how the author used drama to explore the issue of Cambodian refugee resettlement, as portrayed in the novel Children of the River. Such strategies connected the novel to middle schoolers' realities and the broader world, helped students explore new roles and competencies, and kept previously apathetic kids engaged and working. (Contains 1 footnote.)