by: Jack London
First published in 1903, The Call of the Wild is regarded as Jack London's masterpiece. Based on London's experiences as a gold prospector in the Canadian wilderness and his ideas about nature and the struggle for existence, The Call of the Wild is a tale about unbreakable spirit and the fight for survival in the frozen Alaskan Klondike. {cover copy}
Maybe it's because I'm not the biggest fan of dogs... but I was expecting to like this more than I did. I didn't hate it. In fact, there were a lot of great parts. But I just didn't come away from this one loving it. I thought there would be more... wild to it, I guess. It was a great story of a dog who was tough and persevered despite some really crappy circumstances, which I liked and appreciated... and I think I would have been a lot more affected by it had I read it when I was actually still a kid. But I read it in my thirties so... here we are. I think it will be one I recommend to Madeline when she is reading at that level, but not one I would choose to sit and read aloud together with her.  

Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would have known that trouble was brewing not alone for himself, but for every tide-water dog, strong of muscle and with warm, long hair, from Puget Sound to San Diego. {first line}
• pack • {last word}