What do you think?
The Call of the Wild
When men find gold in the frozen north of Canada, they need dogs – big, strong dogs to pull the sledges on the long journeys to and from the gold mines. Buck is stolen from his home in the south and sold as a sledge-dog. He has to learn a new way of life – how to work in harness, how to stay alive in the ice and the snow... and how to fight. Because when a dog falls down in a fight, he never gets up again.
An Oxford Bookworms Library reader for learners of English, adapted from the Jack London original by Nick Bullard.
An Oxford Bookworms Library reader for learners of English, adapted from the Jack London original by Nick Bullard.
112 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2022
About the author
Jack London
8,172 books8,100 followersJohn Griffith Chaney, better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to become an international celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction.
London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers’ rights and socialism. London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam.
His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen".
London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of animal rights, workers’ rights and socialism. London wrote several works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, War of the Classes, and Before Adam.
His most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in Alaska and the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote about the South Pacific in stories such as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen".
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
January 4, 2026
"There is an ecstasy that marks the summit of life, and beyond which life cannot rise. And such is the paradox of living, this ecstasy comes when one is most alive, and it comes as a complete forgetfulness that one is alive."
I had "read" this book once in my middle school years, but I could only recall a handful of bits as the story progressed. Taking the time to read through this book for what it is allowed for reflection through Buck's story and the speed at which it takes.
As Buck's story progressed, I was able to gain an understanding of his ritualistic relationships and lessons through the humans he abode by with each granting a new layer to Buck's being. The overall concept of losing one's self in the presence of those who have power over you was an underlying tone throughout the novel, but Buck's growth from each reinforced the idea of not forgetting where and who you came from. Ancestry and heritage over the immediate.
London does a great job reinforcing his themes throughout the story by excluding the unnecessary details while including the proper. The story of Buck was one that was relatively uncomplicated, but easy to care for the dog. The story never had a moment of drag or lull and this made it quite easy to get through. London did a lovely job with this seemingly short story by not overly encumbering it with things that weren't needed. Not too much, not too little, but just right.
Overall, this was a great and short read that could have easily been finished in one sitting, but I did it in two due to lack of time. 4/5
I had "read" this book once in my middle school years, but I could only recall a handful of bits as the story progressed. Taking the time to read through this book for what it is allowed for reflection through Buck's story and the speed at which it takes.
As Buck's story progressed, I was able to gain an understanding of his ritualistic relationships and lessons through the humans he abode by with each granting a new layer to Buck's being. The overall concept of losing one's self in the presence of those who have power over you was an underlying tone throughout the novel, but Buck's growth from each reinforced the idea of not forgetting where and who you came from. Ancestry and heritage over the immediate.
London does a great job reinforcing his themes throughout the story by excluding the unnecessary details while including the proper. The story of Buck was one that was relatively uncomplicated, but easy to care for the dog. The story never had a moment of drag or lull and this made it quite easy to get through. London did a lovely job with this seemingly short story by not overly encumbering it with things that weren't needed. Not too much, not too little, but just right.
Overall, this was a great and short read that could have easily been finished in one sitting, but I did it in two due to lack of time. 4/5
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review