My Brilliant Idea (and How It Caused My Downfall) - Paperback

by Stuart David (Author)

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 fail: 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.

One brilliant idea. One impossible programmer. What could possibly go wrong?

• A Scheming Protagonist: Meet Jack "The Jackdaw" Dawson, an ideas man whose plans have a spectacular habit of going sideways, especially when they involve eccentric programmers and their very specific demands.
• Hilarious High School Hijinks: From getting kicked out of class to sparking a chain of events that involves a school fight, a stolen iPad, and one very awkward nude portrait session.
• Witty First-Person Narration: Jump inside the head of a fast-talking, quick-thinking teen whose sarcastic commentary on teachers, parents, and pigeons is laugh-out-loud funny.
• Parental Expectations vs. Reality: The only thing more terrifying than his schemes failing? His parents succeeding. Jack will do anything to avoid a future of either factory work or soul-crushing office life.

Author Biography

Stuart David is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and writer. He cofounded the band Belle and Sebastian (1996-2000) and then went on to front Looper (1998-present). He is the author of the novel Nalda Said and the nonfiction work In the All-Night Cafe: A Memoir of Belle and Sebastian's Formative Year. He lives in Muirkirk, Scotland.