Book Review: Cory Stories

Post by: Jennifer Metz

Kraus, Jeanne. Cory Stories, A Kid’s Book About Living with ADHD. Washington, D.C.: Magination Press, 2005.

Cory Stories is about a young boy named Cory who struggles with ADHD. It wasn’t until he met with a doctor who diagnosed him with ADHD when he realized why he was feeling and behaving the way he was. Then with the help of the medications, the “talking doctor” and especially the help from his parents, Cory’s life becomes not so complicated and made a turn for the best.

Jeanne Kraus is an insider to disabilities because not only does her son have ADHD (who inspired her to write this book) but she is an educational specialist with expertise in ADHD. She is a frequent speaker at conferences and workshops where she discusses topics such as organizational and study skills, parenting and classroom management tips. Her goal is to make people more aware of ADHD and how to become familiar with ways to coop with the disability. Cory Stories provides an insider look at the life of a child with ADHD, Cory being Jeanne’s son. She writes about accurate first hand experiences she sees her son going through on an everyday basis. The only some-what negative aspect of this book is that Jeanne Kraus makes generalizations throughout her book as she is explaining some of the experiences her son faces that may not be true for all people with ADHD. For example, she writes, “I have trouble making friends” and “writing neatly is impossible. My pencil doesn’t work right.” These instances may be true for her son but not necessarily for all people with AHDH which is why these are generalizations.

Cory Stories is a great representation of a diverse piece of children’s literature because it turns all of the negative characteristics that a person with ADHD can face into positive characteristics. It proves to the reader that with not only the help of medications, but with the help of a psychiatrist and most importantly with the help from parents, a child with ADHD can look at their life in a positive way. Kraus avoided uses stereotypes throughout this book but instead described accurate examples of behaviors and feelings a child with ADHD can experience. This story shows that Cory can still do normal everyday things like making friends, doing homework, paying attention in school, etc. without his ADHD getting in the way.