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Restoration In The Barrens
The story of a young teens struggle to rebuild his life while helping to rebuild a local prairie.
164 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1999
3 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 23, 2020
Restoration in the Barrens is a perfect book for middle school aged students and adults. Joe Riederer has captured the emotion and spirit of the momements throughout ones life that are challenging and celebrated through the characters in the book.
The story provides a wonderful framework for families to follow when faced with challenges such as the loss of a loved one, standing up for others, moving, growing up, and building trust.
If you are a teacher, guidance counselor, guardian or parent and looking for a book that will provide the context for conversations that lead to learning and decision making, this book will provide the means.
Besides fulfilling all of our reading standards, Restoration in the Barrens has part of my classroom for over 15 years, and our staff has made connections with students on health and wellness, plants and animals, citizen science, adoption, foster care, setting healthy boundaries, working through conflict by simply asking students, "How did the characters in Restoration in the Barrens work through a similar challenge?"
The value of this book for teachers is in the brilliance of Joe Reiderer's ability to integrate Reading, Writing, Science, Social Studies and Math into one book. The story is a narrative for the start of a middle school year and it parallels not only the lives of students and families, it parallels the progession for academic achievement of students in all content areas.
Joe Reiderer has materials created in response to the Covid-19 crisis, and these learning supplements are designed for the virtual classroom. The tools include a chapter by chapter guide, vocabulary lessons, and pictures tags for all of the animals, places and objects referenced in the book. These resources are invaluable and will stand the test of time long after the pandemic.
The companion to this book entitled Trouble in the Barrens keeps the learning narrative going not just for the characters but also for our students as they transition from grade to grade in middle school.
Restoration in the Barrens is a foundational book in our school and we hope Joe Reiderer continues with a third book in the series.
Sincerely,
Tim Sprain
7th Grade Teacher
The story provides a wonderful framework for families to follow when faced with challenges such as the loss of a loved one, standing up for others, moving, growing up, and building trust.
If you are a teacher, guidance counselor, guardian or parent and looking for a book that will provide the context for conversations that lead to learning and decision making, this book will provide the means.
Besides fulfilling all of our reading standards, Restoration in the Barrens has part of my classroom for over 15 years, and our staff has made connections with students on health and wellness, plants and animals, citizen science, adoption, foster care, setting healthy boundaries, working through conflict by simply asking students, "How did the characters in Restoration in the Barrens work through a similar challenge?"
The value of this book for teachers is in the brilliance of Joe Reiderer's ability to integrate Reading, Writing, Science, Social Studies and Math into one book. The story is a narrative for the start of a middle school year and it parallels not only the lives of students and families, it parallels the progession for academic achievement of students in all content areas.
Joe Reiderer has materials created in response to the Covid-19 crisis, and these learning supplements are designed for the virtual classroom. The tools include a chapter by chapter guide, vocabulary lessons, and pictures tags for all of the animals, places and objects referenced in the book. These resources are invaluable and will stand the test of time long after the pandemic.
The companion to this book entitled Trouble in the Barrens keeps the learning narrative going not just for the characters but also for our students as they transition from grade to grade in middle school.
Restoration in the Barrens is a foundational book in our school and we hope Joe Reiderer continues with a third book in the series.
Sincerely,
Tim Sprain
7th Grade Teacher
August 16, 2024
In Restoration in the Barrens, Corey, a 13-year-old who has lost both parents in a car accident, is sent to a foster home. The foster parents, Ben and Ellen, share many of Corey’s interests, specifically the outdoors and grassland ecology. There is a mystery, however, in some of their actions, making the reader wonder about their background and what led them to take in a foster child.
Corey misses his parents, and his scary uncle adds to Corey’s anxiety. So do classmates who give him a rough time because he’s doing his own thing, not following the crowd.
Middle school readers will relate to Corey and root for him. As a retired teacher, I would have appreciated a classroom set of this book so we could discuss not only the factual information but the strategies Corey uses to cope and survive.
Highly recommended.
January 1, 2010
It's really great to read a book from a local author. Though my favorite author/Madisonian is *cough cough* Kevin Henkes, this is still a really good book.
November 2, 2016
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November 18, 2016
Good....
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews