Robinson Crusoe: Retold for younger listeners (Abridged) (Naxos Junior Classics)

Daniel Defoe; Roy McMillan

3.2

5 ratings by Goodreads

9781843795575: Robinson Crusoe: Retold for younger listeners (Abridged) (Naxos Junior Classics)

ISBN 10: 1843795574 ISBN 13: 9781843795575

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks, 2012

Exceptionally popular since its publication in 1719, Robinson Crusoe is widely regarded as the first English novel. Our eponymous hero finds himself shipwrecked on an African desert island after a tumultuous storm, and following the realisation that he is the only survivor, is faced with the prospect of years of isolation. However, he throws his energy into familiarising himself with his new habit: he hunts, learns how to make pottery and even adopts a parrot. After encountering a group of cannibals, Robinson Crusoe finally finds a companion. A thrilling adventure for younger listeners, made thoroughly accessible through Roy McMillans retelling, which uses Defoes words in the main, simplifying and clarifying them at certain points.

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Review:

Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe is a terrific abridgement by Roy McMillan of what I always felt was an overwordy book! Jonathan Keeble's reading sharpens the adventure even more for children of eight and upwards. - --Kati Nicholl, Daily Express

An exciting high adventure enhanced with classical music, Robinson Crusoe is a highly recommended pick for junior high school library and public library children's collections. --Children's Bookwatch

Robinson Crusoe: Retold for Younger Listeners, by Daniel Defoe [and] retold by Roy McMillan, introduces the listener to the adventures of the iconic Robinson Crusoe, from a brief discussion of his early exploits in trading and traveling throughout the world (including a first, less devastating shipwreck), to his survival of a massive storm which destroys his ship and all of its other passengers. The bulk of Robinson Crusoe takes place on the tiny, uninhabited island which Crusoe has the good fortune to reach from the wrecked remains of the ship. Crusoe struggles to protect himself from the elements, to find food, and, as the days stretch into years and then decades, to learn how to thrive without succumbing to loneliness or madness. When Crusoe's part-Eden, part-prison is threatened by mysterious outsiders, Crusoe must draw on the survival skills he has amassed from his time on the island as well as the perhaps-forgotten ability to socialize with other human beings. The most fascinating aspect to any shipwreck tale, particularly Robinson Crusoe, is the inevitable comparisons that the listener will make between Crusoe's actions and what she might do: would I try to tame goats, for instance, or spend many months attempting to construct an oven to bake bread? Would the element of civilized life that I miss the most be 'good English shoes,' as Crusoe does, or a hot bath? Thus Robinson Crusoe is ideal for young adults, because it both piques the imagination and invites introspection. Despite being 'retold,' the exploration, discovery and creativity which define Defoe's original tale are here. Indeed, McMillan's added explanations of the narrative are so craftily inserted into the original, and the abridgment [is] so smooth, that only a purist will mind. Robinson Crusoe: Retold for Younger Listeners makes the original Robinson Crusoe, which was written in the 1700s, accessible to listeners of all ages, because it is short, easy to understand, but still compelling. Jonathan Keeble, an English television and stage actor, reads Robinson Crusoe: Retold for Younger Listeners, and he brings all of the intensity, high drama and suspense to the reading as an actor might on stage. --Joanna Theiss, SoundCommentary

An exciting high adventure enhanced with classical music, Robinson Crusoe is a highly recommended pick for junior high school library and public library children's collections. --Children's Bookwatch

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