The Call of the Wild: Puffin Classics

by Jack London, Melvin Burgess (Introduction)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

As a dog lover, I adore this book and not just because it’s from the perspective of a dog. Buck’s story about survival and perseverance is one that is not easily forgotten. A fantastic modern classic, The Call of the Wild will teach children that even the biggest of challenges can be overcome, as long as you’re willing to try.

Life is good for Buck in Santa Clara Valley, where he spends his days eating and sleeping in the golden sunshine. But one day a treachero's act of betrayal leads to his kidnap, and he is forced into a life of toil and danger. Dragged away to be a sledge dog in the harsh and freezing cold Yukon, Buck must fight for his survivial. Can he rise above his enemies and become the master of his realm once again? With an inspirational introduction by award-winning author Melvyn Burgess, The Call of the Wild is one of the twenty wonderful classic stories being reissued in Puffin Classics in March 2015.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780141321059
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	03/27/2008
Series:	Puffin Classics
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	32,238
Product dimensions:	5.06(w) x 7.00(h) x 0.43(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jack London (1876-1916) was born John Chaney in Pennsylvania, USA and despite a lack of education in his childhood, and a variety of odd jobs, he always maintained his love of books. In 1896 he was caught up in the gold rush to the Klondike river in north-west Canada which became the inspiration for his story, The Call of the Wild, published in 1903, and followed by White Fang in 1906. Jack London became one of the most widely read writers in the world.

Read an Excerpt

★ 08/01/2020

Trivia maven and British quiz show host Osman's first mystery features crime-solving residents of a luxury retirement center in Kent, England. Located on the site of a former convent, Cooper's Chase Retirement Village offers clubs for every interest. The Thursday Murder Club members—Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron—meet weekly to examine the cold case files of a former detective. When the contractor who built Cooper's Chase is murdered immediately after being fired by center owner Ian Ventham, Joyce and the others inform the police that they saw the two men arguing. The entire group, including the police, are present when Ventham is murdered. There were 70 seniors who could have killed him. Then the new contractor unearths an extra body in the convent cemetery. The Thursday Murder Club enjoys two active murder investigations and several cold cases while Elizabeth manipulates the police to keep the group in the loop. The character-driven mystery, featuring a group of sleuths all too aware of their own mortality, and a likable pair of cops, is suspenseful, funny, and poignant. VERDICT The delightful, spirited characters from this witty, sometimes bittersweet story deserve a return engagement.—Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

Table of Contents

Chapter I Into the Primitive 1

Chapter II The Law of Club and Fang 23

Chapter III The Dominant Primordial Beast 43

Chapter IV Who Has Won to Mastership 69

Chapter V The Toil of Trace and Trail 88

Chapter VI For the Love of a Man 115

Chapter VII The Sounding of the Call 141

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Lawlor's matter-of-fact interpretation of Buck's perceptions, experiences, and above all, his helplessness to control his fate successfully stir up as much intimacy and compassion as any human character might." —-AudioFile

Editorial Reviews

Gr 7 Up—Jack London's classic story of survival in the harsh landscape of the Yukon is expertly brought to life by Jeff Daniels's narration. The story of four-year-old Buck, a shepherd mix, is an exciting adventure story that is still relevant more than 100 years after its first publication. Buck, stolen off a train in California, finds himself in Alaska, where he is savagely beaten by a man in a red sweater. Soon he is sold to a team of prospectors who are part of Alaska's Gold Rush. Buck quickly learns that to survive in the unforgiving climate of the north, he must obey and conform to his masters' wishes. Daniels reads the tale with compassion and empathy for Buck's plight, giving a pitch-perfect performance. When necessary, he adds strength and power to Buck's thoughts and actions, especially in scenes where he must exert his leadership over the other sled dogs.—Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN

School Library Journal

"The Call of the Wild in traditional novel form by Jack London is a favorite classic for young and old alike. You will love reading this with your young children who already adore animals and will be eager to read about these in this amazing outdoors story of life in Alaska/Yukon. I visited Jack London's home in Dawson City and even saw his meat locker, which was a little wood house on stilts which animals could not reach. Entice your child's interest in the wilds of nature and the colder regions of the North America. Great book!"

Real Travel Adventures - Bonnie Neely

This is the best scholarly edition of The Call of the Wild currently available, with a superb, wide-ranging introduction by Nicholas Ruddick that is a model of judicious lucidity. The edition is also greatly enhanced by a series of fascinating primary documents situating the novella in an array of turn-of-the-twentieth-century cultural contexts, including the Klondike gold rush, Darwin on dogs and men, theories of atavism and instinct, and controversies surrounding charges of plagiarism against Jack London. Highly recommended.” — Jonathan Auerbach, University of Maryland

From the Publisher