Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe is the Class 7 reader at Army Public Schools & Colleges. This is the Top Readers Level 4 edition from MM Publications, adapted for APSACS by H. Q. Mitchell and Marileni Malkogianni. The purple cover shows the shipwrecked Crusoe on a beach in animal-skin clothes, carrying a wicker basket, and it carries the APSACS logo and the mark of Supplementary Reading Material. Available to order now for the 2027-28 session.
It is the highest level of the Army Public School reading ladder in this series, the fourth adapted classic after The Railway Children, The Secret Garden and Swiss Family Robinson, and it is a fitting novel for twelve-year-olds who are ready for a longer and more serious story.
About the author and the story (from the book’s own introduction)
The introduction explains that Daniel Foe was born in London in 1660, the third child of James Foe, a hard-working butcher and candle maker. His mother died when he was ten; his father soon married again, and Daniel went to boarding school, where he was an excellent student. After school he became a businessman and merchant, made a lot of money at the start of his career, but later went bankrupt and even spent time in prison because of the money he owed.
He added a ‘De’ in front of his name, probably to make it sound aristocratic, and turned to writing to make money. As Defoe he was very successful: his poem The True-Born Englishman (1701) made him famous, although two years later he was put in prison for his political writing, and was released when he agreed to be a spy for the government.
Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe in 1719, when he was 58 years old. It is believed to have been inspired by Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor and castaway. The story is about a man who is shipwrecked on a faraway island and has to survive there for twenty-eight years, mostly alone, but he overcomes the difficulties and creates a good life for himself by farming, taming goats and even making a canoe. The work was so successful that Defoe followed it with The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (also 1719), and the book inspired many other stories about shipwreck survivors, known as Robinsonades. There have been many adaptations for television, theatre and cinema.
Why this book suits Class 7
Robinson Crusoe is a story about resilience. A student in Class 7 will recognise the theme of making something from nothing, of learning from mistakes and of keeping hope when alone. It is also a good bridge to the longer novels of secondary school. The adapted text keeps the main story but removes the long digressions, so the reader can finish it and enjoy it.
Where this reader sits at Army Public Schools
Robinson Crusoe is the Class 7 reader and the highest level (Top Readers Level 4) in this series. It follows Swiss Family Robinson in Class 6, and the two make a natural pair: both are about survival after a shipwreck, so it is worth reading them side by side.
Who, when and how
Whom: Class 7 students at Army Public Schools. When: as home reading through the year. How: ask your child to keep a short ‘survival diary’ for each chapter, and compare it with the Swiss Family Robinson they read last year. Where: at home, on a journey or in the library.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote the original story?
Daniel Defoe (born Daniel Foe). This edition is adapted by H. Q. Mitchell and Marileni Malkogianni.
Is this the full original novel?
No. It is an adapted Top Readers Level 4 edition for APSACS.
Is it a textbook?
No. It is Supplementary Reading Material (SRM).
Buy Robinson Crusoe for APSACS from us online and pay when it reaches your door (Cash on Delivery, all over Pakistan). We also ship prepaid orders to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.
