The dogs in this book are treated horribly and killed in this book. Not to mention people are murdered by Indians.
The Call of the Wild
(1903, Fiction - Animals, Written by Jack London)
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 9, age appropriate for kids over 11; suggested age 10. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Classic animal tale painful for animal-loving kids.
Themes in this book include: revenge
Why We Rated This
for Ages 10–11
The good stuff
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Educational value:
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What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Language:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
About The Call of the Wild
Parents need to know that there's a great deal of brutality by and toward dogs, which may be a bit much for sensitive young animal lovers of the 21st century, when beating dogs with clubs is not considered an acceptable way of training them. Dogs fight each other to the death, and tear out the throats of dogs and men, yielding geysers of blood when the jugular is ripped open. Buck, the canine main character, is often beaten, once almost to death.
Read our full review by Matt Berman
Families Can Talk About
- Families can talk about how values and sensibilities have changed in the century since this was written. If this had been written about events happening today, would you react differently? Would the book have been received differently? How has the treatment and perception of animals changed since then?
- The author seems to be saying that Buck reverting to a wild state is a good thing. Do you agree? Why or why not?
- A century ago some thought that a savage state might be preferable to a civilized one for people too. What do you think of this idea? Do you think people and animals are meant to be civilized?
Our Members Say
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Mean and Nasty
- I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
I love this book. One of my favorites. Really sad, though.



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