Adventure · Nature
The Call of the Wild
Reading level: we suggest CEFR B1–B2 for reading The Call of the Wild. Length: about 32,000 words.
- Suggested levelB1–B2
- Lengthabout 32,000 words
- Original languageEnglish
The story
Buck is a large, comfortable house dog in California until a gardener sells him to pay a gambling debt. Within days he is in the frozen Yukon, learning the law of club and fang as a sled dog during the Klondike Gold Rush.
He survives brutal owners, fights the vicious lead dog Spitz, and finally finds a master he would die for, John Thornton — while the wild calls to him more loudly every night.
Themes: survival, instinct, loyalty, the Klondike Gold Rush.
Why it's a good book for language learners
Jack London writes in clear, muscular sentences with a strong forward pull. Most of the story is told through action, which makes it easy to follow even when you meet new words. It is short enough to finish, and the emotional story of Buck keeps you reading to the end.
How hard is the English in The Call of the Wild?
- Flesch Reading Ease76.7
- Flesch–Kincaid grade7.2
- Words per sentence18.7
Measured by PageWalker on the full English text of the book. Flesch Reading Ease runs from 0 to 100 (higher is easier; 60–70 is plain English) and the Flesch–Kincaid grade is a US school grade. These formulas only count sentence and word length, so they miss old-fashioned vocabulary, wordplay and style. That is why our CEFR level, which takes those into account, can be higher than the formula suggests.
What you'll practise
- Action verbs: drag, haul, lunge, snarl
- Weather and landscape vocabulary
- Past simple vs. past perfect in narration
- Describing feelings without dialogue
Reading tip
Keep a list of the verbs London uses for movement. By the end you will have dozens of vivid alternatives to “go” and “run”.
Did you know?
London spent the winter of 1897 in the Yukon during the Gold Rush, and the book draws on what he saw there.
The PageWalker adventure
In the adventure you live Buck's journey through his choices — whom to trust, when to fight and when to wait. You can try the first page in your browser, and the adventure is available in 13 languages with click-to-translate.
The Call of the Wild in other languages
- EnglishThe Call of the Wild
- العربيةنداء البرية
- DeutschRuf der Wildnis
- EspañolLa Llamada de lo Salvaje
- FrançaisL'Appel de la forêt
- हिन्दीजंगल की पुकार
- ItalianoIl richiamo della foresta
- 日本語野性の呼び声
- 한국어야성의 부름
- PortuguêsO Chamado Selvagem
- РусскийЗов предков
- TürkçeVahşetin Çağrısı
- 简体中文野性的呼唤
Questions about The Call of the Wild
What reading level is The Call of the Wild?
We suggest CEFR B1–B2 for reading The Call of the Wild. Jack London writes in clear, muscular sentences with a strong forward pull. On readability formulas the English text scores a Flesch Reading Ease of 76.7 and a Flesch–Kincaid grade of 7.2, with an average of 18.7 words per sentence.
How long is The Call of the Wild?
The Call of the Wild by Jack London (1903) is about 32,000 words.
Can I play The Call of the Wild as an interactive adventure?
Yes. In the adventure you live Buck's journey through his choices — whom to trust, when to fight and when to wait. You can try the first page in your browser, in 13 languages.
Updated 16 October 2026
