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Pennington #1
Pennington's seventeenth summer
A loutish teen, Patrick's dreadful temper prevents him from making the most of his abilities, especially his musical talent.
183 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
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152 people want to read
About the author
K.M. Peyton
109 books149 followersKathleen Wendy Herald Peyton MBE, who wrote primarily as K. M. Peyton, was a British author of fiction for children and young adults
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
August 4, 2018
What a gorgeous glowering antihero Pennington is, Heathcliff-lite for adolescent girls everywhere. He conforms to all the stereotypes - troubled background, unintentionally charismatic, shy around the 'good girl', outrageously gifted and destined for disaster or greatness... Well, so what. Romance lovers like romance, they like the things they like, they know what they like, it's none of your beeswax. It serves as a good template for a lot of current YA, except with a bit less surrogate ego-fondling for the girlies, and considerably better-written.
PP could perfectly well serve as the adolescent version of 'A Word Child''s Hilary Burde. No greater accolade exists.
There's just that soupçon of detachment in Peyton's sketching of all her characters, that's probably half the reason she can turn her hand to any genre and never fails to convince. I can't aspire to it - I don't really want to. Too invested, too excitable. But I can certainly admire it.
PP could perfectly well serve as the adolescent version of 'A Word Child''s Hilary Burde. No greater accolade exists.
There's just that soupçon of detachment in Peyton's sketching of all her characters, that's probably half the reason she can turn her hand to any genre and never fails to convince. I can't aspire to it - I don't really want to. Too invested, too excitable. But I can certainly admire it.
August 7, 2017
Patrick Pennington is a typical rebellious and morose teenager who is viewed with suspicion and dislike by many adults around him because of his long hair. At sixteen he appears older than his age. He gets no support from his parents at home. His father insults and bullies him, and his mother whines and nags. His music teacher Mr. Crocker and his best friend Bates are the only two people in his immediate circle who have a little bit of faith in and sympathy for him.
This is the fifth YA novel by K.M. Peyton that I've read. I really adored her Flambards tetralogy better than this the first in the Pennington series. Nevertheless, Pennington's Last Term is not bad. I didn't have much sympathy for Pennington at first, but by the last third of the book I did like his character a little better. Instead of appearing as little more than a hooligan, the better aspects of Pennington's character appears in the final part of the novel. While reading the novel early on I decided that I wasn't interested in completing the Pennington trilogy, but now I think i might.
This is the fifth YA novel by K.M. Peyton that I've read. I really adored her Flambards tetralogy better than this the first in the Pennington series. Nevertheless, Pennington's Last Term is not bad. I didn't have much sympathy for Pennington at first, but by the last third of the book I did like his character a little better. Instead of appearing as little more than a hooligan, the better aspects of Pennington's character appears in the final part of the novel. While reading the novel early on I decided that I wasn't interested in completing the Pennington trilogy, but now I think i might.
July 29, 2016
The correct title of this book is Pennington's Seventeenth Summer so not sure why it says otherwise here.
Probably one of the 5 books I most remember reading as a young tween/teen, I still own copies of all the Pennington books now.
Probably one of the 5 books I most remember reading as a young tween/teen, I still own copies of all the Pennington books now.
July 10, 2025
This begins the Patrick Pennington series, and I have to admit this first book (but not the series, by any means, which I adore) may be more appealing to a male reader. The first time I got it out from the library, I couldn't even finish it. In addition, although much of it takes place in a school (usually a big selling point for me), it is a far from happy institution and there is one teacher in particular who is vicious to Patrick (who, admittedly, goads him unbearably).
At times, it seems as if the only redeemable aspect of Patrick is his incredible musical talent (acquired mysteriously, with minimal teaching and despite dreadful parents without culture or even humanity). However, this book is critical because it introduces the reader to Patrick, and he becomes extremely important to Peyton readers later in the series. Persevere, this is a story that gets better with every reread! Anyone with a sullen or underachieving adolescent boy in her life will particularly enjoy.
At times, it seems as if the only redeemable aspect of Patrick is his incredible musical talent (acquired mysteriously, with minimal teaching and despite dreadful parents without culture or even humanity). However, this book is critical because it introduces the reader to Patrick, and he becomes extremely important to Peyton readers later in the series. Persevere, this is a story that gets better with every reread! Anyone with a sullen or underachieving adolescent boy in her life will particularly enjoy.
August 8, 2018
This is a beautiful, inspiring, fantastic YA novel. When I was a teenager, I read another book about Patrick Pennington, "The Beethoven Medal". I had no idea there was a prequel---this book, Pennington's Last Term. I have found out there are also two sequels to "The Beethoven Medal". I plan on reading them too. The main character, "Penn" as his friends call him, is almost seventeen. He is a very troubled boy, with turbulent emotions and a "bad attitude". He comes from an abusive home and is treated like a "thug" by most of the adults in his life. He does a lot of bad things, but he gets blamed for even worse ones. The adults have formed an unfavorable view of young Penn, and he goes out of his way to live up to it. He is smart, but not motivated. He only has two instructors who stick up for him---his "games" teacher and his music teacher. The games are sports, esp. swimming and soccer, which Penn excels at. The other thing Penn excels at is music. He is very, very gifted on the piano. But his heart isn't in it, not in the beginning. Penn prefers the harmonica. His frustrated music teacher writes in his school report, "May God forgive this boy for abusing so unusual a talent." His teacher calls him a "technician", because he hits all the right notes but doesn't put his soul into it. As the novel progresses, Penn has a revelation. He actually starts to feel something while he's playing. He also starts to show some compassion and empathy for the two instructors who have gone out of their way for him, and who had faith in him. This book has a very satisfying ending. There is hope for Penn! BTW, this book is also very funny.
October 16, 2023
When I first discovered this book on a library shelf in 1984, I was thrilled. Another book by the author of Flambards!!!
But my excitement soon soured. To my teenage self, Pennington’s crimes were:
1) He’s a BOY—and not a sensitive, bookish boy. He’s rough and sneering. Pennington is Tom Sawyer at age 17, if he were long-haired, bitter, cynical, physically abused, and living in a depressed 1960s British seaside town.
2) There aren’t any horses. If this is the author of Flambards, WHERE ARE THE HORSES?
In short, this book is not Flambards, and at the time I couldn’t forgive it for that.
Flambards had entered deep into my heart and blossomed as a book can do if read at exactly the right time and age. I loved Christina Russell. But Patrick Pennington?? To use his own word, Cripes.
Fast forward more than thirty years. As the mother of two boys, I decided to try again. And this time—you guessed it—I loved the book. Pennington is hilarious, brave, loyal, and misunderstood. The writing is old-fashioned, but vivid and full of life.
I went on to read the entire trilogy. The second two books aren’t as funny or original as the first one, but I like them, too. And the second volume, The Beethoven Medal, is from the perspective of a young woman—in love with Pennington, of course. She is similar to Flambards’s Christina in many ways. The third novel, Pennington’s Heir, is told from both her and Penn’s perspective (but mostly hers).
Now, one “problem” with the Pennington trilogy is that it’s not feminist, at least not by today’s standards. KM Peyton was born in 1929. This book was published in 1970, and yes, it’s dated. Ruth is brave, stalwart and loving, but she’s eclipsed by the brilliant, talented, larger-than-life Pennington, and that’s just fine with her.
If this kind of female character is unbearable to you, look elsewhere. As for me, I like old books because they tell how the vast majority of women actually lived, shaped as they were by their societies. Current novels set in the past tend to give every heroine an indomitable, independent spirit—the context may be painstakingly researched, but the female protagonist seems to has time-traveled straight from the 21st century.
Don’t get me wrong; I like those books too. But it's nice to read about women like Ruth and Christina sometimes. Their compromises tell us how far we’ve come, and show us where we used to be. And everyday life still contains many such compromises, after all. Even in the best of times, women are likely to be supporters and caretakers. (As I write this, the social isolation imposed by the cornovirus pandemic has shifted such caretaking burdens disproportionately onto women more than ever.)
I urge anyone who likes 1) old-fashioned novels 2) rude, surly young men with secretly tender hearts 3) concert piano music, or 4) Flambards to give this novel a try.
But my excitement soon soured. To my teenage self, Pennington’s crimes were:
1) He’s a BOY—and not a sensitive, bookish boy. He’s rough and sneering. Pennington is Tom Sawyer at age 17, if he were long-haired, bitter, cynical, physically abused, and living in a depressed 1960s British seaside town.
2) There aren’t any horses. If this is the author of Flambards, WHERE ARE THE HORSES?
In short, this book is not Flambards, and at the time I couldn’t forgive it for that.
Flambards had entered deep into my heart and blossomed as a book can do if read at exactly the right time and age. I loved Christina Russell. But Patrick Pennington?? To use his own word, Cripes.
Fast forward more than thirty years. As the mother of two boys, I decided to try again. And this time—you guessed it—I loved the book. Pennington is hilarious, brave, loyal, and misunderstood. The writing is old-fashioned, but vivid and full of life.
I went on to read the entire trilogy. The second two books aren’t as funny or original as the first one, but I like them, too. And the second volume, The Beethoven Medal, is from the perspective of a young woman—in love with Pennington, of course. She is similar to Flambards’s Christina in many ways. The third novel, Pennington’s Heir, is told from both her and Penn’s perspective (but mostly hers).
Now, one “problem” with the Pennington trilogy is that it’s not feminist, at least not by today’s standards. KM Peyton was born in 1929. This book was published in 1970, and yes, it’s dated. Ruth is brave, stalwart and loving, but she’s eclipsed by the brilliant, talented, larger-than-life Pennington, and that’s just fine with her.
If this kind of female character is unbearable to you, look elsewhere. As for me, I like old books because they tell how the vast majority of women actually lived, shaped as they were by their societies. Current novels set in the past tend to give every heroine an indomitable, independent spirit—the context may be painstakingly researched, but the female protagonist seems to has time-traveled straight from the 21st century.
Don’t get me wrong; I like those books too. But it's nice to read about women like Ruth and Christina sometimes. Their compromises tell us how far we’ve come, and show us where we used to be. And everyday life still contains many such compromises, after all. Even in the best of times, women are likely to be supporters and caretakers. (As I write this, the social isolation imposed by the cornovirus pandemic has shifted such caretaking burdens disproportionately onto women more than ever.)
I urge anyone who likes 1) old-fashioned novels 2) rude, surly young men with secretly tender hearts 3) concert piano music, or 4) Flambards to give this novel a try.
April 14, 2020
Patrick pennington is a troubled and troublesome teenager in his last year at school. he is good at games, but otherwise indifferent to school. Suprisingly, though, he is good at playing the piano, however reluctantly, and his music teacher, mr Crocker, hopes he will win an important competition at the end of June. But penn is his own worst enemy, always in trouble, and runs foul not just of the teachers at school but the police as well. This is a gripping story with great characters; penn himself, of course, and his friend Bates who sings marvellously, his preference being melancholy folk songs, but can only sing when drunk. K.M. Peyton is a superb writer, and it is always a pleasure to return to the world of pennington and his friends (and enemies).
April 22, 2019
Pennington was a series I read as a child at my local library … and I NEVER forgot them. I don’t know why but this character stayed with me. And it was such an unusual story - I thought as a child - from the author who usually wrote books about horses. I hated books about horses…
But I never found it again. [later I understood that it had been renamed from the original title: Pennington’s seventeenth summer]
Then I found out about better world books. It’s a site that sells old library books and voila … they had a Pennington. And it was book 1.
So I bought it and then I did that thing that some readers may understand.
I didn’t read it. I was terrified that my memory of it would be wrong. That my old favourite would disappoint me. That I would have to move it to the ‘problematic fave’ category.
But Patrick Pennington did not let me down.
He is a hulk of a boy; at 196 pounds, with shoulders on him like a wrestler and he grows his hair long just to irritate the form master Mr Marsh - whom the students call Soggy. His mother insists against all opposition (including Penn) that the boy stay at school for another year. The only person who is pleased about this is the games master; the school holds the regional shields for soccer and swimming, solely on the wide shoulders of Pennington.
Penn plays the piano because his mother won that battle too, many years ago. His piano teacher Mr Crocker wrote on his report “may God forgive this boy for abusing so an unusual talent”. Penn thinks it’s better than last year’s comment which was: “this boy plays the piano as befits the captain of the first eleven.” He is technically brilliant but there’s no heart in his playing.
Penn and his mate Bates muck around in the local fishing boats, smoke, drink and get themselves into trouble shoplifting, scratching up cars and fighting with his arch nemesis Smeeton.
Everyone, including the local coppers, believe Penn is bound for disaster.
Only Mr Crocker has any sympathy for how hard his home life is. Penn understands his father who solves all arguments with a good thumping, but his mother is so unpredictable he has never known where he stands with her.
His fight with Soggy over the haircut means he’s banned from all his favourite school activities, so Mr Crocker fills his time with more piano practice. And he enters him in a local competition.
But as per usual, Penn has other priorities. He’s met a girl. ‘Oh cripes’ he said to himself. He tells Crocker that he’s skipping the competition to go to a folk festival with Sylvia. This nearly breaks the poor man, but… the best way to make Penn do anything is to tell him he can’t.
A sequence of events lead to a brilliant conclusion.
Penn gets pinged around by various adults. So often because he won’t (or can’t) speak up for himself. [use your words, you big dumb lunk]
But somewhere in all this he learns heart. And his music shines for it.
5 stars
[Ooh the series has been recently re-released on Kindle.]
But I never found it again. [later I understood that it had been renamed from the original title: Pennington’s seventeenth summer]
Then I found out about better world books. It’s a site that sells old library books and voila … they had a Pennington. And it was book 1.
So I bought it and then I did that thing that some readers may understand.
I didn’t read it. I was terrified that my memory of it would be wrong. That my old favourite would disappoint me. That I would have to move it to the ‘problematic fave’ category.
But Patrick Pennington did not let me down.
He is a hulk of a boy; at 196 pounds, with shoulders on him like a wrestler and he grows his hair long just to irritate the form master Mr Marsh - whom the students call Soggy. His mother insists against all opposition (including Penn) that the boy stay at school for another year. The only person who is pleased about this is the games master; the school holds the regional shields for soccer and swimming, solely on the wide shoulders of Pennington.
Penn plays the piano because his mother won that battle too, many years ago. His piano teacher Mr Crocker wrote on his report “may God forgive this boy for abusing so an unusual talent”. Penn thinks it’s better than last year’s comment which was: “this boy plays the piano as befits the captain of the first eleven.” He is technically brilliant but there’s no heart in his playing.
Penn and his mate Bates muck around in the local fishing boats, smoke, drink and get themselves into trouble shoplifting, scratching up cars and fighting with his arch nemesis Smeeton.
Everyone, including the local coppers, believe Penn is bound for disaster.
Only Mr Crocker has any sympathy for how hard his home life is. Penn understands his father who solves all arguments with a good thumping, but his mother is so unpredictable he has never known where he stands with her.
His fight with Soggy over the haircut means he’s banned from all his favourite school activities, so Mr Crocker fills his time with more piano practice. And he enters him in a local competition.
But as per usual, Penn has other priorities. He’s met a girl. ‘Oh cripes’ he said to himself. He tells Crocker that he’s skipping the competition to go to a folk festival with Sylvia. This nearly breaks the poor man, but… the best way to make Penn do anything is to tell him he can’t.
A sequence of events lead to a brilliant conclusion.
Penn gets pinged around by various adults. So often because he won’t (or can’t) speak up for himself. [use your words, you big dumb lunk]
But somewhere in all this he learns heart. And his music shines for it.
5 stars
[Ooh the series has been recently re-released on Kindle.]
December 18, 2012
I read the American edition, Pennington's Last Term, which has been laying un-checked out for thirty years in my library. I was drawn to it because I've seen the Flambards miniseries on television and read the books. I loved the author's illustrations! I shall have to look for the rest of this series.
On page 154 I questioned the world "desert" as used. I am wrong, again, according to Snopes. Really, how many times must I look this up to learn it??
On page 92, I wondered what kind of motorcycle Penn's father had, it being a 600cc. I did not remember any 600cc bikes from back then, but I find there was a MV Agusta 600 known as the "Black Pig". Some more information on Bikeexif. What do you think?
On page 154 I questioned the world "desert" as used. I am wrong, again, according to Snopes. Really, how many times must I look this up to learn it??
On page 92, I wondered what kind of motorcycle Penn's father had, it being a 600cc. I did not remember any 600cc bikes from back then, but I find there was a MV Agusta 600 known as the "Black Pig". Some more information on Bikeexif. What do you think?
March 24, 2021
Pennington is in his last year of school and hating every moment. He’s an outrageously talented thug: he’s famed for his musical and athletic abilities, but he can barely walk down the street without starting a fight. He's forever being coerced into doing the right thing (saving his wimpy best friend, rescuing his fragile piano teacher) and whenever he actually pulls it off, the credit goes to someone else. But when his arch enemy, the head teacher of his form, forces him out of a good deed he didn’t want to do anyway, Penn’s stubbornness comes to the rescue and wins for him a place outside of gaol.
The writing is superb: it’s filled with dry humour and a gritty realism that draws the reader right in to the character’s head, so that you both laugh at him and sympathise with him. Thoroughly recommended for anyone over 14 with a keen sense of the ridiculous.
The writing is superb: it’s filled with dry humour and a gritty realism that draws the reader right in to the character’s head, so that you both laugh at him and sympathise with him. Thoroughly recommended for anyone over 14 with a keen sense of the ridiculous.
September 5, 2019
A bright, sensitive introvert who's also big, strong, and quicker with his fists than his wits, is the sort of hero few writers have tried to create. Peyton did a good job with Patrick Pennington, who likes playing beautiful classical music on the piano, sailing and playing harmonica accompaniments to his pub-singing pal Bates, watching butterflies, beating up his ex-friend, and raising his teachers' blood pressure. Penn's last term in secondary school (source of the US title), his seventeenth summer (source of the UK title), will decide whether he goes on to music lessons or some sort of correctional institution. Penn is too immature to think much about this, so the suspense never stops. Nor do Penn's misadventures.
March 26, 2021
I read this about 30 years ago, but I remember the effect it had on me. I couldn't help but to like Pennington. I wished I had a friend like him. I am shocked that only 300 people or so have read this book, it is that good. Luckily, there are 2 sequels.
Pennington is bored with school, and he dislikes his teachers. The feeling is mutual. He often slouches in a way that makes him look to have a paunch, but in reality, he is solid and strong and well-muscled. So he never backs away from a fight. Girls find him very physically attractive, yet, he doesn't care.
He is very apathetic about all of life except for 2 things. Soccer and, wait for it...playing classical music on the piano. He is a very gifted pianist.
Pennington is bored with school, and he dislikes his teachers. The feeling is mutual. He often slouches in a way that makes him look to have a paunch, but in reality, he is solid and strong and well-muscled. So he never backs away from a fight. Girls find him very physically attractive, yet, he doesn't care.
He is very apathetic about all of life except for 2 things. Soccer and, wait for it...playing classical music on the piano. He is a very gifted pianist.
April 10, 2018
The character of Patrick Pennington - gifted, misunderstood, constantly having to fight for survival against people trying to keep him from pursuing his musical talent - is so real, so head-shakingly right, so compelling. I've never read another book that makes me root so hard for a character. Also, he's a musician, so I was hooked from the start. K.M. Peyton has the best writing style for YA - unadorned, direct and straight to the heart of the matter. Love this book, and the others in the series. Highly recommend.
June 7, 2020
K M Peyton is my favourite author. I usually read her horsey stories but I read one of the Pennington books as a teenager. I think i got it from the library. I really enjoyed it and have been trying to get my own copies ever since. Thanks to Amazon I finally succeeded and was able to read this book as an adult. It didn’t disappoint. K M Peyton is a born story teller and this is a fantastic story with great believable characters.
December 24, 2017
A satisfying tale
A goof schoolboy tale, though a little dated now I fear. Rough tough Pennington is a talented enigma under that tough carapace. Possibly not rough and tough by today's standards and the Beehive school seems more like a public school than a sink comprehensive. But there is enjoyment and satisfaction as all works out well in the end
A goof schoolboy tale, though a little dated now I fear. Rough tough Pennington is a talented enigma under that tough carapace. Possibly not rough and tough by today's standards and the Beehive school seems more like a public school than a sink comprehensive. But there is enjoyment and satisfaction as all works out well in the end
January 7, 2011
I really enjoyed reading about Pennington's adventures, with his friends in the boat on on his fathers motorbike. The storyline about his piano lessons is inspiring and teaches a good lesson about hard work paying off.
February 7, 2024
Absolutely sublime character work. KM Peyton is a genius. She ought to be compulsory reading (to quote Soggy) for anyone who wants to learn how to write compelling characters. I adore everything about this book, and the two next in the series (and every other book of Peyton's I've ever read).
February 3, 2013
Favourite childhood author who read my first attempt at a book when I was 17, despite having never met me!
February 12, 2013
Known here as Penningtons Seventeenth Summer
October 14, 2014
One of my all-time favorite books, it can always make me laugh.
September 21, 2019
I must have read this book over 30 years ago. It’s a little dated but still enjoyable – and at least it acknowledges the presence of hormones in adolescent young men.
November 28, 2020
Penn was pretty dumb and stereotypical, but in this particular book I could like it. At least he did stupid (rebellious) things passionately and well. I actually loved that he jumped out of the third floor window when they locked him in. Awesome. Then did it again to prove to the police that that's what he did. Boom! And the ending of the 'romance' part of the book was funny to me.
April 5, 2021
I loved this book when I was a teenager, and it held up well over forty years later.
June 30, 2023
You can’t help admiring Pennington for his passion in getting revenge. He’s lazy, rude, and destructive, destined for prison. But he does things masterfully when he’s getting even.
September 28, 2023
Forgotten masterpiece. Even better now than it was in 1980. Travel back in time for less than the price of 5 fags today.
August 1, 2020
What a thug! Brilliant book.
October 3, 2023
I loved this book and both the others in the series. So great!
May 4, 2020
Read for That Was Then This Is Now post. One of my favorite books from my teen years. Read the full review at:
http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2013/...
Rereading in 2020: still strangely appealing to me. I love it. https://sarahsbookjournal.wordpress.c...
http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2013/...
Rereading in 2020: still strangely appealing to me. I love it. https://sarahsbookjournal.wordpress.c...
December 13, 2024
A school class read during final term. It was ok - I was a bit of a lout at the time so didn’t find the plot at all plausible. I’m sure this was version but the publish dates don’t match. Probably one I need to revisit one day.
July 27, 2011
A little slow to get into, but quite gripping by the end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews