"The Call of The Wild"

Recommended Age: 10-13

Lexile: 1020L

Buck was a lucky dog. Buck was a pampered dog. Buck had everything. Then, gold was found in Alaska and sleigh dogs were in high demand. Suddenly, Buck’s whole life was stripped from him. Buck is the central character in The Call of the Wild, Jack London’s classic adventure tale that skillfully explores such central themes as the will to survive, love, friendship, and ambition.

After Buck is dognapped and taken to Alaska, he begins to change as he is confronted with the harsh reality that he has a new master and that he must do horrible things. For example, Buck is forced to fight other dogs who want to fight to the death in order to survive. As “the call” -- the force pulling him towards nature -- grows louder, Buck not only rediscovers his primitive instincts, he embraces them to become a “leader and master among dogs.”

As Buck learns hard lessons about the world, the reader does too. None is more important than the fact that love and friendship still exist in a harsh and cruel environment. At first, the sleigh dogs in Buck’s new pack are cold towards Buck. They are confused about whether he is a friend or an enemy. They don’t think that Buck is cut out for the harsh and cruel life in the Yukon territory. However, later on, when Buck is caught in a fight with Spitz, the sleigh dogs don’t hesitate to defend Buck.

The Call of the Wild is eloquent, engaging, and absorbing. London masterfully explores Buck’s evolution by taking the reader through Buck’s daily life. Buck turns around in a circle three times before he goes to sleep, even on the tough nights when he is starved and beaten (almost to death!). Though the main character is a dog, readers relate to Buck. Buck often feels alone in the world, pulled between the desire to follow the call and the It is these personal connections that give meaning to Buck’s struggle, a meaning that has been rediscovered by millions of readers over the years.

The book ends with Buck leading a pack of wild dogs into the wilderness--going back to the wild and embracing his primitive instincts. London wrote this book as a call to action. He effectively spread the word about the mistreatment of sleigh dogs. His message has been passed on to hundreds of thousands of people.

This book is best for readers from the age of 12- 15. It is a great introductory read to action stories, and has vocabulary that will help students build their own vocab. However, this book is violent at times, which may be too much for readers younger than the age of 10. All in all, this book is an amazing adventure book, which kids of all ages should read.

P.S: After reading the book, I recommend watching the movie. It does a GREAT job portraying all of Buck's adventures.

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