I immediately purchased this book for my classroom library. It had excellent information and my students love this series. I wanted to do more research after finishing it to verify that it was all true. I trust that it is, but some is still unbelievable! Great book!

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Couldn’t Drive? by Dan Gutman (Norton Young Readers, 2022) is a part of the Wait! What? series by the creator of the popular My Weird School series (and a number of other fun middle-grade books). In this kid-friendly middle-grade biography, two kids, named appropriately Paige and Turner, teach the reader all about the life and influence of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. With cute black-and-white illustrations and dialog-based discussion, the text approaches the topic with plenty of light-hearted jokes and banter. There are tons of fun facts, including the titular fact that RBG was such a horrendous driver that her loved ones refused to let her do so.

Some kids may like the approach, which would better invite them into the story of RBG’s life. Occasional bullet-point pages provide lists with timeline events, historical events, and relevant facts to RBG’s era, and each two-page spread provides at least one cartoon illustration of either an amusing situation told in the text or a relevant quote from RBG or another historical figure. For struggling or disinterested readers, reading a biography might otherwise be dull and tedious. Maybe, for them, the kids’ humor in RBG Couldn’t Drive would keep them reading.

However, from my perspective as a parent (and former homeschool teacher), I felt Ruth Bader Ginsburg Couldn’t Drive was a distracting book as a biography. The jokes actually detracted from her story. When a page (six back-and-forth lines of dialog) jokes about whether you like prunes (literally nothing to do with RBG’s story), it may frustrate a struggling reader as they try to keep the thread of conversation. Further, an ending additional facts chapter seemed like an “I can one-up you!” contest between the kids, who are supposedly just now learning and sharing what they’d learned about RBG. A fact dump doesn’t seem a helpful approach to teaching concepts from an important person’s life. Some other chapters likewise seemed a bit too full of facts rather than banter and the contrast didn’t work for me.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Couldn’t Drive is certainly a unique approach for the middle-grade biography sphere. While the concept is good, it seems to fall a little short of the mark. I would not personally recommend such a biography to the readers I know, but it may be I haven’t met the kid this book would be the perfect fit.

Note: I received a digital copy of this book for review consideration.

Well this was better than I thought it would be, by far – even if it remains very much a USA-only book, the young of the rest of the world not giving a toss about RBG for all her pioneering spirit and bench presses. I assumed a weak affair with a poor narrative style, as two kids yack about the subject in unrealistic manner, but no – this was very chatty, but informative and not too cloying or weird or daffy an approach at all. It doesn't matter that apart from a few lists here and there the entire thing is a duologue between two siblings, reporting their homework and research to each other about the subject. You can always tell them apart but their personalities don't get in the way of this being a non-fiction book, and the approach pretty much does tell you what a teacher would want you to know, and in chronological order, for all the talk of daft trivia and promises of surprises. I never expected to be fully on board to check out future books in this franchise, but the quality of this left me in that state, so I wish it well.

Excellent book! Dan Gutman draws the reader in immediately and cleverly provides interesting well known and little known facts about Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s professional and personal life. It’s a clever and engaging way for kids (and adults) to learn.

A fun read, but did not really add anything to other biographies on RBJ. Like that some might pick it up based on the comical title, but wish it had something else to have it stand out from the rest.

I first heard of RBG through the film “On the basis of sex” so I already knew quite a lot about her but I thoroughly enjoyed this concise, children’s biography about her life and work. Written as a conversation between two characters, they were able to offer humorous asides and mini anecdotes before being brought back to the point by the other character. A great book to introduce children to this inspirational woman.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As soon as I saw the author's name, I knew this was the beginning of a reading adventure.
The selection of Ginsburg and her life story is one that appeals to everyone. It is especially engaging to learn about history and the lives of influential personalities in different formats. Through Paige and Turner, a charismatic brother and sister team, she comes alive. Her monumental achievements are wittily conveyed with personal trivia. that will keep all readers captivated.
The factual presentation is amusing and readers will certainly absorb the essence of who RBG was. It's an especially engaging way to teach students about biographies.

Dan Gutman once again has written an amazing book that kids will love! It is the perfect amount of fun facts and real history all in one. The illustrations are stellar, and some make you laugh out loud. Dan Gutman really has a talent for writing books for reluctant readers. I learned some new facts about Ruth Bader Ginsburg myself. I can’t wait to introduce this book to some reluctant readers I know. I think it will be perfect for them. 5/5 stars!

This is the 5th volume in the "Wait! What?" series for young readers, and it continues the excellence of the previous volumes. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a perfect subject for this series. Throughout her life, she fought for women's rights, civil rights, and more, while also having a happy marriage and family. Her drawbacks are few - cannot drive, cannot cook. Readers learn about the Supreme Court here, and through Ginsberg's friendships with other justices, how to get along with, and enjoy the company of, people who think differently. Kindle formatting is still awful in this preprint, as were the previous volumes. I assume the final print and Kindle versions are OK. Excellent series! Thanks to NetGalley and W.W. Norton & Company for providing an ARC.

Many times biographies can be a bit dry for our elementary aged kids. Thank goodness for authors who tackle this genre in engaging ways, making the subject come to life and discuss those little details that kids would appreciate! And once engaged, then the recommendations at the end can encourage them to read more. And RBG was certainly a worthy choice for our young readers to learn about. Eager to read more in this story as well as share with my colleagues!

I have learned so much from this book! I love the format - siblings talking back and forth about RBG. I feel that this would keep kids engaged easily. The facts given are easy to absorb and there's truly so much information in this little book. It was fantastic.

Thanks NetGalley for the book!

This book follows a brother and sister's conversation as they share facts about Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Fun, entertaining, and informative for upper elementary school children.

This book contained many interesting and little-known facts about the subject. Consequently, this selection would be great for students in 4-6th grade completing research about RBG. The book is informative and also entertaining for that particular audience. The dialogue between the characters adds fun and interest for the reader.

Facts, trivia, and fun are what makes this minibiography of the famous member of the Supreme Court Of The United States (SCOTUS) different. Presented as an interaction between siblings, it makes learning fun and easy.
The illustrations by Allison Steinfeld are delightful, imaginative line drawings.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age, great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from W. W. Norton & Company/Norton Young Readers via NetGalley. Thank you!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book.

I'm a big fan of Dan Gutman, and this installment of "Wait, What?" doesn't disappoint. Gutman has a handle on elementary readers, and does a great job creating books that are accessible to a wide range of reading abilities. This series is perfect for kids who like the Who Was series, while also appealing to kids who are less enamored by non-fiction. There is an audience for these books, for sure. Gutman does a great job blending important facts, with fun trivia, and I look forward to more in this series.

I really enjoyed this one! I've loved RBG ever since I read the picture book biography "I Dissent", and I also read a graphic novel about her by the same author. This new series was set up a bit differently -- as brother-and-sister narrators discussing some of the quirky, lesser known facts of a famous person. Cheesy at times, of course, but fun and informative, even though I felt like I already knew a lot about RBG. I will definitely be checking out the other books in the series. I've read many books in the Who Was? series (which are a little more detailed but a little less fun), and now I'll try to blaze through the ones so far in this series, too.

I received my copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Light-hearted way to learn more about RBG. I think kids will enjoy the back-and-forth style of the two kids.

After reading Notorious RBG earlier this year, I was so excited to get my hands on an ARC of this book.

The siblings’ banter and readers theater format make this a perfect addition to an elementary (3rd-6th) classroom library. Gutman includes all of the information you’d expect to find in a biography, but spends the bulk of his time helping younger readers understand how Ruth Bader Ginsburg became one of the most influential figures of the last century.

The illustrated quotations were some of my favorite pages, and I laughed out loud as I learned more about the lesser known pieces of RBG’s life.

I wasn’t familiar with Dan Gutman’s “Wait! What?” series, but I cannot wait to add these to my classroom library. Special thanks to #NetGalley and #NortonYoungReaders for the ARC of this absolute gem. I hope there are many more biographies to follow in this series!

This non-fiction story was super fun. I learned so much about RBG in quick dialog. I look forward to checking out more.

This is the perfect book for elementary age students. Lots of pictures and Q & A writing. Interesting facts that will keep the reader entertained. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early read.