My Brilliant Idea

by Stuart David

Meet fifteen-year-old Jack “The Jackdaw” Dawson, a young man with a serious plan. Daydreaming in class one day, Jack gets an idea he knows can't an app that stops you from daydreaming in class. (Ahem . . . ) Fame, glory, and tons of money seem just around the corner. But Jack runs into some trouble, and suddenly this sure thing doesn’t seem quite so sure.
     Ricocheting from the absurd to the profound in his first book for teens, Stuart David uses his extraordinary intelligence and wit to tell the story of a boy trying to scheme his way out from under the weight of his parents’ expectations. Readers will root for The Jackdaw from beginning to end.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary

240 pages, Hardcover

First published June 7, 2016

About the author

Stuart David is the co-founder of the bands Belle & Sebastian, and Looper. He has published two novels, "Nalda Said" and "The Peacock Manifesto".

Reviews

[Book Sp(l)ot]

Jack Dawson still makes me think of:


Interested in The Jackdaw, though . . .

[Klaudia Janek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: Meet fifteen-year-old Jack "The Jackdaw" Dawson, a high school student with a knack for coming up with wild ideas. During a daydream in class, Jack conceives the ultimate plan: to create an app that prevents students from zoning out, thinking it will bring him fame and fortune. To make this vision a reality, Jack seeks the help of Elsie "Greensleeves" Green, a brilliant programmer who harbors a deep-seated dislike for him. In exchange for her assistance, she demands an outrageous favor. As Jack navigates these increasingly absurd demands, he finds himself caught in a web of schemes involving his parents, uncle, cousin, and classmates. The story unfolds with a blend of humor and chaos, showcasing Jack's charming yet misguided optimism. While readers may initially struggle with the British slang and pacing, they will find Jack's journey relatable as he grapples with his parents' contrasting expectations. Ultimately, "The Jackdaw" is a comedic tale of friendship, deception, and the trials of adolescence, culminating in unexpected revelations and a satisfying conclusion.

Straight Talk for Librarians: By organizing a book club, students can discuss Jack's entrepreneurial spirit while exploring their own ideas for app development. Librarians can facilitate workshops where students brainstorm and pitch their app concepts, mimicking Jack's attempts, while encouraging critical thinking about ethical implications in technology. This book is a good choice for independent reading. I think it can appeal to both boys and girls with an interest in technology. The author is interesting in that he is a Scottish musician, novelist, and co-founder of Belle and Sebastian, now fronting Looper and authoring seven novels and a memoir. I think this was his first and only YA book.

[Holly Helphinstine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an ok story. I won this as an ARC a really long time ago, and I just now finished it. You follow a fifteen year old named Jack, and he has come up with the best idea for an app, but he needs a little help to get it started. Getting that help, however, leads him to a dominio effect of situations that he finds himself in. If you like reading a story about teen philanthropists, then this is the story for you.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was pretty good and an easy quick read. Personally I've read one other book by Stuart David and thought that one was much better, this book didn't include lots of detail and everything was pretty straight forward. You could also guess what was gonna happen throughout the whole book. But otherwise, I still enjoyed it and thought it was good.

[Findlay · Rating 4 out of 5]

boring in the beginning but got better towards the end

[Courtney K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Misleading title. If it wasn't for the title, I would rate this a little higher. I was expecting total devastation, while the main character just learned a lesson. Not great, not terrible.

[Silence · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can find this and other reviews at: owlsandvowels.org

Plot: The Jackdaw (a.k.a. Jack Dawson) always has a plan. His latest scheme involves hustling his classmates into developing an app that lets you daydream in class.

Review: I wanted to like this one. I really, truly did if for no other reason than that I love Belle and Sebastian. However, the quirkiness and sincerity that makes me love Stuart David as a songwriter didn’t transfer over to his first YA novel. Full disclosure, I feel like a tool for not liking the book, and maybe I’m being too hard on this one, but it just didn’t do it for me. The premise had a lot of promise. Eccentric kid hatches a wild plan to launch an app and jettison to greatness? I can dig it. Jack also has a witty, almost Clockwork Orange type of narrative tone that many people will latch onto. He is mischievous and selfish. All of these things alone make for an intriguing protagonist, and sometimes I find that kind of cheek and crass entertaining, but not with Jack. His shallowness turned me against him from the beginning and it followed him throughout the book. I think the problem was that I saw very little emotion or sincerity from him in the beginning, and it hindered me from investing further.

As a result, reading the rest of the book became a very detached experience that didn’t hold my attention. I wasn’t rooting for him and I just wanted to part ways with the entire cast of characters as fast as possible. However, readers might like this one if they are interested watching just how much things blow up in Jack’s face and his inevitable redemption as he begins to make different life choices. David is a solid writer, so I do hope others gel more with this one than I did.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Who Should Snag It: Those looking for a protagonist they love to loath might enjoy Jack’s destructive ways.

*I would like to thank Edelweiss and the publisher for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review*

[Kelli Bragg · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't understand the premise of this book, which is a kid wants to create an app that stops him from daydreaming, and because other kids are naturally slackers like him, he'll sell it and be rich. Guess what, they already make those apps: they're called alarm clocks or task minders, and most are FREE.

In addition to the silly app idea, the character was incredibly irksome. A brat who has access to a good educational system can't be bothered to pay attention in class, while kids in third-world countries, if they aren't already being used for slave labor or too poor to attend, would love the opportunity to go to school.

While I realize there is likely a sizeable portion of teens who feel the same way and they'll like it, there will be another group who were like me: motivated achievers who weren't bratty complainers. I tried to finish it, but it was simply wasting my time. Sorry - I'm sure that author is a good writer, but this one fell very flat.

[Gina Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was 3 stars for me. Negative first: I think I was expecting a little more depth in the characters and in the way it was written. Sadly, I found myself at not really caring about Jack that much until middle/end of the book. The other characters, pretty much same thing. There were some that I just thought were boring. It also took a lot of time to get into it because it was so flat and there seemed to be just the bare minimum of details. I thought I was going to get a better view of Elise too but that never actually happened. On the Positive side though, I did find the humor very funny in this book. It was clean and made me want to keep reading. (as I said how flat most of it was) the plot was really well planned out! So was the ending, I didn't really see it coming. And overall, I did like it book in the end.

[Diane Ferbrache · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jack Dawson (The Jackdaw) has a plan – he’s going to design an app that helps students get back on track when they zone out in class. The only problem is he needs a programmer, and the only one capable is “Greensleeves”, Elsie Green, a girl he barely knows. Jack makes a deal with her – she wants to see a guy naked, so Jack is off to make it happen. One scheme leads to another which leads to another which leads to another and so on.

What should have been a silly romp, a tale of miscues and ridiculous plans gone wrong becomes only convoluted, confusing, and silly. About 2/3 through the book, I was having trouble determining who was who and what Jack promised everyone. Yes, it all turns out in the end, even with a bit of a message about lies and friendship, but for the most part it’s a mess.

[Lee-ann Dunton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this ARC via Goodreads' First Reads.

This book was entertaining to read, but the blurb definitely makes it out to be more exciting than it actually ends up being. In fact, while I usually read for hours and hours at a time, I found myself putting this down every couple chapters or so. The plot drags on a little, and I didn't find myself invested in any of the characters, so I wasn't ever compelled to continue reading.

While I read predominantly-YA fiction, I think this is actually one of those stories you may actually need to be younger to really appreciate.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not impressed. My Brilliant Idea is not brilliant at all. Stuart David's side characters are all flat pawns in The Jackdaw's schemes which are really dumb to begin with. This read a lot like the author trying to make a point of some kind, but getting himself so deep in his own schemes that untangling them properly was too much effort. The initial idea that sends Jack Dawson on his journey of even crazier schemes doesn't even come back around in the end. A very self-unaware narrator with a flat supporting cast makes for a less than great read.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story tells about a Jack Dawson who formed an idea for an app. This led to him developing a series of complicated events with other characters that eventually build up to his initial plan. In the end, everything worked out in a sense but Jack was not successful in creating the app.

The story was pretty decent. I liked the twist in the end but I wouldn't consider that a "downfall". The plot was okay but it was a bit sticky sometimes...

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh... It never really seemed to take off. Jack (The "Jackdaw") Dawson, a teenage wanna-be/get rich schemer spends 2 whole weeks coming up with a "brilliant plan" that never really happens. The crazy plot twists that happen in his attempt get this "brilliant plan" to work involve more schemes that really just make the reader's head hurt. I wasn't all that impressed.

[Kelly Sierra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was too convoluting for me to think it was fun. I just didn't like the main character and his story did not appeal to me.

[Valary · Rating 2 out of 5]

slow build to chaos brought on by big dreams and no real plan

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

not bad, very interesting and funny.