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The Call of the Wild

(1903, Fiction - Animals, Written by Jack London)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 9, age appropriate for kids over 11; suggested age 10.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Classic animal tale painful for animal-loving kids.

Themes in this book include:   revenge

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 10–11

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Provides an historically accurate portrait of the Yukon gold rush of the late 1800s, including details on how dogsled teams work.

  • Messages:

    This is a man's (and dog's) world, and women are referred to rarely and with sexism. The main message here is that the wild, unfettered life is preferable to civilization for dogs -- and perhaps for humans too. Whether that is a positive message or not depends on the reader.

  • Role models:

    Buck's final owner is rough but more decent and compassionate than any of the other humans in the story.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Men and dogs are beaten and killed, and attack and kill each other, quite brutally. Men beat dogs with clubs and whips, dogs fight to the death and tear out the throats of men and other dogs, a dog is torn apart by a pack.

  • Language:

    "Hell" is used rarely.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Men smoke pipes.
 

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.

Did this review help you decide?

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?
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Soccercrazyteen
    Lives in Illinois
    I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it 2.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence

    Mean and Nasty

    The dogs in this book are treated horribly and killed in this book. Not to mention people are murdered by Indians.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  2. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    MikaylaLovesEdwa ...
    Lives in Georgia
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0

    I love this book. One of my favorites. Really sad, though.

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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