The Call of the Wild

In this quintessential adventure story, Jack London takes readers on an arduous journey through the forbidding Alaskan landscape during the gold rush of the 1890s. Buck, a rangy mixed breed used to a comfortable, sun-filled life as a family dog, is stolen by a greedy opportunist and sold to dog traffickers. In no time, Buck finds himself on a team of sled dogs run ragged in the harsh winter of the Klondike. In a climate where every day is a savage struggle for survival, the last traces of Buck's soft, pampered existence are erased as his dormant primordial urges -- deeply embedded for generations -- are brutally awakened.
The superb detail, taken from London's firsthand knowledge of Alaskan frontier life, makes this classic tale as gripping today as it was almost a hundred years ago. No other novel has so clearly shown the fragile separation between tame and wild, between man and beast. Now, paired with master illustrator Wendell Minor's exquisite paintings, this timeless story is available in a handsome new addition to the Scribner Illustrated Classics collection.

Author: Jack London
Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks
Published: 10/01/1999
Pages: 128
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.89lbs
Size: 10.06h x 6.12w x 0.69d
ISBN: 9780689818363
Audience: Young Adult

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 8
Point Value: 7
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 107 / Call of the Wild


Review Citation(s):
Beyond the Cover Author Interv 11/01/1999 pg. 5
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/1999 pg. 82 - Recommended, Satisfactory
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2000 pg. 82 - Recommended, Satisfactory

About the Author
Jack London (1876-1916) was a prolific American novelist and short story writer. His most notable works include White Fang, The Call of the Wild, and The Sea-Wolf. He was born in San Francisco, California.

Wendell Minor has illustrated dozens of picture books, and his work has won countless awards and is in permanent collections of such institutions as the Museum of American Illustration and the Library of Congress. His cover illustrations have graced some of the most significant novels of our time by authors such as Toni Morrison, David McCullough, and James Michener. He lives in Washington, Connecticut. Visit him online at MinorArt.com.