The Call of the Wild

This year, i read the book Call of the Wild by Jack London. The Call of the Wild takes place in Yukon, Alaska, Klondike, Canada, and Santa Clara Valley, California. The main character is a dog called Buck, a crossover between a St. Bernard and a Scotch Shepherd. One night Judge Miller (Bucks Owner) is at a meeting and the gardener, Manuel steals Buck to pay off his debt for Chinese Gambling. Buck is sold to Francois and Perrault. The men beat Buck with a club and mistreat him. They train Buck to become a sled dog, something Buck was never trained to do. Since Buck was unaware he had been sold, he obeyed their orders in the beginning yet became disobedient when he was not returned to Judge Miller. His life from a house pet to a sled dog was very challenging. The French Canadian men meet musher John Thorton. John Thorton sees that Buck is being mistreated and takes Buck from Perrault and Francois. John Thorton is a much better man then the French-Canadians. John Thorton gets killed by Native Americans. Buck is very hurt and seeks revenge for John Thorton’s death, he kills the Native Americans that killed John. After John Thorton is killed Buck lives in the wild and begins to live the life of a wolf. He relies on nature for food, shelter and comfort rather than people. He returns sometimes to the place of John Thornton’s death to grieve. This book shows that a dog really is a "man's best friend) I would recommend this to any age if you are at a high reading level, or if you just want to try it out!

Reader reviewed by Dominique

Buck, a huge half St. Bernard and half sheepdog, lives a comfortable life with a wealthy man, until the man’s gardener kidnaps him. Showing Buck the harder side of life and cruelty, Buck is sold and forced to join other dogs in pulling a sled in harsh, cold weather. Many people believe there is gold in Alaska and there is a rush to find it. Buck has many hard lessons to learn if he wants to survive. With rivals and ambitions, Buck soon finds himself facing the head dog in a battle for leadership. Will Buck win or lose? To lose could mean injury or death.

Changes in ownership and conditions makes Buck adapt quickly or possible face death. Some men are desperate and greedy for gold, overestimating themselves and the dogs—can Buck and his fellow dogs survive? The Call of the Wild was a novel about a dog that must adapt and learn the law of survival and possible rewards or consequences. People of will enjoy this book for ages to come!

Reader reviewed by Joe

In "The Call of the Wild", the main character, Buck who is actually a dog, starts off living with a very wealthy family. There, he is treated as royalty: getting walks in the morning, run of the huge backyard, and the love of a family. But before Buck knows it he is inside a a stuffy crate and is being shipped to "the man in the red sweater."

From there he is placed on a ship and is harshly. After the boat he is placed with his last of the evil humans, Francois. When he is released shortly for a bathroom break, Buck takes off with no direction but plenty of freedom. For the rest of his life he is destined to live on his own in the wild.

This book is great. I loved Buck for his will to never give up even when being whipped and beaten. He had to live on The Call of the Wild. It was great because it not only had suspense but there was also a lot of drama.

"The Call of the Wild is a wonderful book for young adults. The book is great for boys because they would enjoy the outdoors and suspense, but girls might enjoy it too due to the awesome drama.