Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss is the Class 6 reader at Army Public Schools & Colleges. This is the Top Readers Level 3 edition from MM Publications, adapted for APSACS by H. Q. Mitchell and Marileni Malkogianni. The blue cover shows a family on a raft in rough seas, 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 third adapted classic in the reading ladder, after The Railway Children (Class 4) and The Secret Garden (Class 5), and it moves up to Level 3 for eleven-year-olds who are ready for a more demanding story of shipwreck, survival and family teamwork.
About the author and the story (from the book’s own introduction)
The introduction tells us that Johann David Wyss was a priest in Berne, Switzerland, born on 28 May 1743. He spoke four languages and had four sons, loved nature and often took the boys on long walks and hunting trips. He also enjoyed reading to his children and wrote stories for their entertainment.
Swiss Family Robinson was created for his sons, who loved adventure stories like Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe (1719). Wyss based the characters on his own family, so the main characters are a pastor with his wife and four sons. He wanted to teach his sons the importance of respecting nature, seeking knowledge and being kind, and used the story to talk about those things. The story remained incomplete and disorganised, since it was created mainly for entertainment. When he grew older, his son Johann Rudolf Wyss found his father’s manuscript, got his permission to edit and publish it, and another son, Johann Emmanuel Wyss, made the illustrations. The book was published in German in 1812, became very popular, and was translated into English in 1814. Along with the translations came numerous adaptations, some with different endings. The basic ideas that remain are survival, family love and love for nature.
Why this book suits Class 6
The story is an adventure, but it is also a book about practical problem-solving: building shelter, finding food, working together. A Class 6 student who reads it will meet survival vocabulary and see a family treat knowledge and hard work as the way to cope with disaster. It also fits well with the Class 6 science and geography books, which cover many of the topics the family has to deal with (plants, animals, landforms and weather).
Where this reader sits at Army Public Schools
Swiss Family Robinson is the Class 6 reader and the first at Top Readers Level 3. Last year’s reader was The Secret Garden (Level 2), and next year’s is Robinson Crusoe (Level 4), so each year the language moves up one step.
Who, when and how
Whom: Class 6 students at Army Public Schools. When: as home reading through the year. How: ask your child what they would build first on a desert island, and what they would miss most. Where: at home, on a journey or in the library.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote the original story?
Johann David Wyss. 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 3 edition for APSACS.
Is it a textbook?
No. It is Supplementary Reading Material (SRM).
We deliver Swiss Family Robinson for APSACS to every city in Pakistan with Cash on Delivery, and you are welcome to collect it from our Lahore shop. If your school sent a book list, send it to us on WhatsApp and we will put the whole set together.
