Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
As Buck, a mixed breed dog, is taken away from his home, instead of facing a feast for breakfast and the comforts of home, he faces the hardships of being a sled dog. Soon he lands in the wrong hands, being forced to keep going when it is too rough for him and the other dogs in his pack. He also fights the urges to run free with his ancestors, the wolves who live around where he is pulling the sled.
Is The Call of the Wild appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 12 and up.
Parents should know this classic features realistic depictions of animal cruelty, harsh treatment of sled dogs, and survival violence in the Klondike wilderness. Dogs die, fight, and suffer hardship throughout.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include abuse, captivity, and animal death (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Readers will be gripped by Buck's transformation from pampered pet to wild survivor as he faces brutal conditions and discovers his primal instincts.