The Call of the Wild

The Call of the Wild (1903) by Jack London. This book is billed on its cover as an "Oxford Children's Classic," and I think this is appropriate. It's a thrilling tale of a dog named Buck who is kidnapped from his comfortable life in California and forced to work in Alaska as a sled dog. London does a fine job of describing reality as seen from a dog's point of view, but of course we can never really know how a dog sees the world. My opinion is that London has anthropomorphized Buck to an excessive degree, giving him insight and wisdom that is beyond human. The book is a good read, but exaggerated in the extreme, to the point where Buck comes off as a supernatural being, almost with superpowers. Which brings me back to my original point. I think children will be able to suspend disbelief more easily than adults, and will be pulled unquestioningly into the story. It's a great children's book. It's only a passable book for adults. Grade: B