NEW YORK — A new stage adaptation of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” has been commissioned from an up-and-coming playwright not much older than Sawyer was in the landmark book.

The Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, has picked 17-year-old Noah Altshuler to go back to the famous novel and build a play from it this summer after visiting key Twain locations like Hannibal, Missouri, and Elmira, New York.

Noah Altshuler, 17, has been commissioned to write a play based on “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.”

“It’s an effort, above all, to bring the quintessential American boy to a new generation. His importance is greater than it’s ever been,” said Altshuler. “I’ve found Twain to be so relatable and so important in my life that it’s a shame to think that others don’t have that same relationship merely because of a lack of access or interest.”

Altshuler, who was born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has already had his play “Making the Move” featured at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and licensed by more than 50 schools across the country. He hopes to return to the festival this year with a sequel.

Altshuler’s play will be adapted primarily from “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” but it will also include elements drawn from “Tom Sawyer Abroad” and “Tom Sawyer, Detective.” The playwright, named a playwright-in-residence, will have access to Twain’s archives.

Altshuler said he would try to steer clear of other interpretations so he could create a direct and personal relationship with the original text.

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