My Brilliant Idea (And How It Caused My Downfall)

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 4, 2016

Review

Serious goof-off Jack Dawson dreams up a fabulous idea for an app that he's sure will help students avoid being caught spacing out in class. To make it a reality, he needs to enlist the help of the only student at his high school with the coding know-how to help him create it. The problem is that she hates him and so Jack embarks on a hijinks-laden plan to convince her that becomes increasingly complicated with each step until the plot almost collapses under its own weight. Funny and snarky UK-flavored witticisms (the Scottish author is also a musician who was part of the rock band Belle and Sebastian) abound and will be appreciated by Anglophile teens. A lack of character development will distance readers, however, and this rift will only be widened by Jack's not entirely sympathetic persona. Die-hard fans of UK comedy may favor this one, but it's unlikely to garner wide appeal.

Overall Book Score: fair