Rating: 
Summary: A classic.
Review: A classic. Simply put, this book is a classic. Johann Wyss created this tale many, many years ago, and today it is still read by a wide variety of readers ranging from 8 to 100. The vocabulary is entertaining, while remaining simple enough for even the younger readers to understand and enjoy, and the plot is marvelous, its twists and turns keeping the reader in suspense throughout the book. If you have yet to read this classic tale of pirates, shipwreck, and adventure, it is heartily recommended by this reviewer.
Rating: 
Summary: You'll Nod, You'll Snore, You'll Call This Book a Bore!
Review: Ah, the Swiss Family Robinson--that classic tale of a family's struggle to survive among wild flamingos, vicious penguins, and voracious pigeons! You'll thrill to their cunning slaughter of the bloodthirsty, flesh-eating monkeys! You'll hold your breath along with Fritz when confronted with an ostrich. And you'll share little Franz's joy when he kills his first new animal! Eagles, buffalo, whales, porcupines, agoutis, onagers, jackals, lions, elephants, chimpanzees, giant land crabs, even gianter water crabs, and, a most unforgettable encounter with the dreaded salmon! --Through it all the bold family plunges unscathed, defying the odds to forge a paradise out of this harsh, desolate wilderness! The Swiss Family Robinson is a classic no household should be without! Buy this book today so that your whole family can snore--I mean SHARE--the adven (yawn) ture...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...
Rating:
Summary: Shipwrecked or Survivor
Review: Although in the book the ship is sinking this book is a survivor! It is an inredibly detailed account of a swedish pastor and his family who were on a ship and planning to start a new colony but also a tale of survival and willpower. In the book everything is in detail so u pretty much know what is going on but it is sometimes hard to remember all the details becaise it is so detailed. Although ficticious the story seems almost real because the author does a good job of blending tough situations in with the happy situations and its not just like a real evrerypone lived happily ever after and stuff like that but it is real life where there is problems that need to be worked out and such. All in all i thuroughly enjoyed the book and i recommend it to readers who can understand large words and who have an extensive vocabulary and also to readers who are looking for adventure and a story that never gets boring !
Rating: 
Summary: Swiss Family Robinson
Review: Although the book is entertaining, in reading it to my children, I could not help but be appalled by the routine slaughter of every species of animal that this family encounters. The casual cruelty (e.g., drowning 4 of 6 puppies that their dog gives birth to shortly after reaching the island, shooting dozens of small birds solely to have a better look at them, etc.) reveals a VERY 19th Century sensibility that animals and indeed the entire natural world have no worth other than to be used by mankind for whatever purpose it sees fit. Although I agree that "political correctness" should not dictate our appreciation of literature, the pervasiveness of this book's completely callous attitude toward other living creatures can send a bad message to the children who read it without adult interpretation. I also found it strange that animals and plants from every continent on earth are somehow gathered together on this small island. To the extent that many readers may believe that this book serves to educate children about the natural world, the MANY inaccuracies contained in it should not be overlooked.
Rating:
Summary: In the Top Ten of all Time
Review: But let's be clear right up front. My 5-star rating of this book applies only to the original unabridged version in Johann Wyss' own words. The modernized versions are watered down, time-wasters for word wusses.When I was nine years old I spent months struggling through this book for the first time. The old style language made for rough going, but I persevered. In the end I was rewarded with more than a classic tale marvelously told; I discovered a love of books and earned self-respect for tackling a tough read. If I was a teacher whose task it was to introduce students to classic literature, I would skip Dickens and use this book. Kids love adventure, animals, and action. Swiss Family Robinson has it all. It's really a thriller disguised as a literary classic. All book lovers should read this one at least once. And please don't watch the Disney movie and claim you've "been there, did that" on this story. The movie is totally different and in no way compares.
Rating: 
Summary: The ultimate survival story.
Review: Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe carved a literary niche for the survival story, and The Swiss Family Robinson is one of the many stories carved in that mould. Written from the perspective of the father, it chronicles the first-hand account of the shipwreck and survival of a Swiss family of six on a remote island somewhere near New Guinea. The family consists of a Swiss pastor who is a walking encyclopedia on agricultural practices from around the world; his wife who excels in equal measure with culinary skills, and four energetic sons. Displaying remarkable resilience and resourcefulness, they survive completely alone for over ten years until their rescue. In the process, they create their own European civilization, showing complete mastery over animals and plants, and creatively establishing houses. The bulk of the novel consists of their struggle for survival with their endless discovery of new species of plants and animals.. Readers should be warned that different versions of the Swiss Family Robinson abound. The Swiss pastor originally credited with the work - Johann David Wyss (1743-1818) - originally told many of these tales to his children, one of whom was likely responsible for the editing and publication of it. It was subsequently translated into many languages, with translators taking major liberties in abridgement or adding episodes of their own. The Disney film version, for instance, contains confrontations with pirates that are entirely absent from the original. Some versions speak of the shipwrecked lass as "Jenny", others as "Emily". The version I read (the Puffin Classics edition) was the translation of WHG Kingston, first published in 1879, and widely regarded as one of the best-loved English translations. Remarkably, however, it is not based on the original German version, but on an 1816 French version. Regardless of which version one reads, abridged versions sacrifice much of the charm of the original. The longer versions are eloquent, descriptive, and employ vocabulary and language that makes them far more satisfying than most contemporary condensed versions. Given that the original author was a Swiss pastor, it's not surprising to find the narrative soaked with implicit Christian influences. There are frequent references to God's providence, commendation into God's care, keeping the day of rest, as well as the encouragement of Christian morals. The exercise and promotion of Christian virtue is a clear theme, evident especially in a final scene where the father charges his sons to be faithful as Christians. "In a long conversation with my sons I solemnly charged them with the future responsibilities of their life, in all its varied aspects, of duty towards God, their fellow men, and themselves, pointing out the temptations to which their different characters were likely to expose them, and exhorting them affectionately to hold fast to the faith in which they had been brought up." The boys all have different strengths and weaknesses, and Wyss presents this as a moral lesson for his readers: "Children are, on the whole, very much alike everywhere, and you four lads fairly represent multitudes, who are growing up in all directions. It will make me happy to think that my simple narrative may lead some of these to observe how blessed are the results of patient continuance in well-doing, what benefits arise from the thoughtful application of knowledge and science, and how good and pleasant a thing it is when brethren dwell together in unity, under the eyes of parental love." The importance of a wholesome Christian family working together is very central: "And my great wish is that young people who read this record of our lives and adventures, should learn from it how admirably suited is the peaceful, industrious and pious life of a cheerful and united family, to the formation of strong, pure and manly character." The island proves to be a form of idyllic paradise, where animals from every continent around the world apparently co-exist in a rather impossible manner (Australian kangaroos and platypuses, Antarctic penguins, African lions and elephants, North American wolves, and bears, South American boa constrictors, not to mention walruses, tapirs, toucans, flamingos and ostriches). New species of plants and animals are conveniently discovered on a daily basis, and the Wyss family appears to have an inexhaustible knowledge of how to use these resources to create their own civilization. They are little troubled by sickness, storms or strife, and have few difficulties in taming nearly every animal known to mankind. They are able to cook every delicacy ever conceived. Whether their menu offers truffles or turtle, roasted bear-paw or buffalo, the food is always good and the meat never burnt. In fact their success sometimes becomes rather repetitive and tiresome, and is evidently rooted in an overly optimistic view of mankind and faith in the possibilities offered by scientific knowledge. But rather than become too frustrated by the utopianism, you should suspend your sense of disbelief and enjoy the ride. Certainly it is rather hard to believe that a Swiss pastor can immediately recognize a Myrica cerifera when he sees one and conveniently knows that its berries can be melted and strained to make candles, or that he knows that a sturgeon's bladder can be used to make isinglass, or that he remembers intricate details about Italian, Indian and South American practices of agriculture and animal husbandry. The production of chinaware, porcelain, soap, and rubber boots and the apparent skills in taxidermy and other exotic abilities may at times be hard to swallow. And the endless discoveries and conquests of nature are rather repetitive. But in the end it's enjoyable. It's little wonder that the Wyss family decided not to leave their "New Switzerland" at the end. For the same reason, so many people come back to the Robinson's island time and again. Some of the ideas in this book are certainly dated, but this book has stood the test of time, and spending time with the Swiss Family Robinson will continue to be rewarding.
Rating:
Summary: The WORST book I have ever read. Avoid at all costs.
Review: Do not read this book if you value your sanity and have respect for your own intelligence. Do not read this book unless someone is forcing you at gunpoint. It's not that I hate classics. Right now I'm reading Paradise Lost, which is wonderful. I read all the time and it is my favorite thing to do. It's just that I hated THIS book. It took so long to read and I hated the characters' attitudes: Every time you see a wild animal, capture it! Shoot it! Take it home and tame it as a pet. Yes, they had a whole zoo of tamed animals--monkeys, ostriches, buffalo, zebras and many more. The book is nothing like the movie. There are no pirates and in fact, no adventure at all. Every chapter seems to end with something like, "And so we commended ourselves to God and went to sleep." Plus, are we supposed to believe that tigers, anacondas, ostriches and buffalo live on the same island? I think the thing I hated most was that everything seemed so easy. People describe this as a survival story, but there was never any danger. Right from the start everything the family wanted was provided for. They came on a colony ship so they had farm animals (which somehow survived even though no other humans did). They had gunpowder, cooking pots and utensils, and I think even furniture. Every wild food was good to eat. When they made bread out of manioc it turned golden brown and smelled wonderful. (I have tasted it and it is horrible.) Acorns taste like "excellent chestnuts". (Eating real acorns causes kidney damage and they are bitter.) They ended up making about 4 different houses and living like a rich European family. The author obviously knew nothing about real tropical islands or survival. Perhaps that was acceptable at the time it was written, but it doesn't work nowadays. PS. I am talking about the unabridged version of this book. The abridged version is likely to be just as bad, so don't buy it either. I am 14.
Rating:
Summary: The Book Of The World!
Review: Have you ever been on a deserted island with only your family? Well in the book The Swiss Family Robinson, a Swiss family has to live on a deserted island after there boat gets caught in a storm and they end up on a shore line. Lacking food and clothes they use what they have and there surrounds to live. The book is told the Swiss captain/ father and husband; he is like the narrator of the story. He has four boys and a loving and caring wife. While on the island they make a tree house to live in. Although this tree house is only suppose to be temporary, but if they don't get rescued it could become permanent. This is a great book that really keeps you entertained and interested. So if you want to find out more details and see what the family goes though then READ the BOOK.
Rating:
Summary: The Swiss fmaily robinson
Review: Have you ever been on a deserted island with only your family? Well in the book The Swiss Family Robinson, a Swiss family has to live on a deserted island after there boat gets caught in a storm and they end up on a shore line. Lacking food and clothes they use what they have and there surrounds to live. The book is told the Swiss captain/ father and husband; he is like the narrator of the story. He has four boys and a loving and caring wife. While on the island they make a tree house to live in. Although this tree house is only suppose to be temporary, but if they don't get rescued it could become permanent. This is a great book that really keeps you entertained and interested. So if you want to find out more details and see what the family goes though then READ the BOOK.
Rating:
Summary: Fate worse than death
Review: I don't agree with the classification of this book as "ages 9 through 12." I was more like 13 when I read it and it was still so obscure and full of narrative passages that went on and on and on and on. Very little dialect. Nightmarishly boring. Nothing like the fast-moving, fun, kind of silly Disney movie. One case where the movie's ok but the book's a must-miss.
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