What books are similar to The Call of the Wild?

The 10 closest matches to The Call of the Wild by Jack London on ReadingList include Hatchet, Cryptid Hunters, The River, Two Degrees, and The Hunger Games. Each is scored on shared themes (survival, nature vs. civilization, and instinct), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–10), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Call of the Wild reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–10), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like The Call of the Wild

If you liked The Call of the Wild, read Hatchet, Cryptid Hunters, or The River — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Closest match: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen — shares survival

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Looking for books like The Call of the Wild by Jack London (Adventure · 1120L · grades 6–10)? It’s most often read for its themes of survival, nature vs. civilization, and instinct. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 6–10 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Hatchet1020L: Shares themes of survival, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Adventure). Amazon → books like this →
Cryptid Huntersgrades 5–8: Shares themes of survival, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Rivergrades 5–8: Shares themes of survival, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
Two Degreesgrades 5–8: Shares themes of survival, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (5–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Hunger Games810L: Shares themes of survival, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Alabama Moongrades 6–8: Same genre (Adventure) and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Freak the Mightygrades 6–9: Same genre (Adventure) and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Run, Hide, Fight Backgrades 6–9: Same genre (Adventure) and overlapping grades (6–9). Amazon → books like this →
Sparrow Hawk Redgrades 6–8: Same genre (Adventure) and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Downrivergrades 9–12: Shares themes of survival, same genre (Adventure), and overlapping grades (9–12). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Call of the Wild for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton · 530L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Adventure).
Smoky Night by Eve Bunting · grades 1–4 — Same genre (Adventure).
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon · grades K–3 — Same genre (Adventure).

Books like The Call of the Wild for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

Geronimo Stilton: Lost Treasure of the Emerald Eye by Geronimo Stilton · 530L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list and same genre (Adventure).
7 X 9 = Trouble by Claudia Mills · grades 3–5 — Same genre (Adventure).
Jaguar by Roland Smith · grades 3–5 — Same genre (Adventure).
Rescue Josh McGuire by Ben Mikaelsen · grades 3–5 — Same genre (Adventure).
Smoky Night by Eve Bunting · grades 1–4 — Same genre (Adventure).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Call of the Wild?: The 10 closest matches to The Call of the Wild by Jack London on ReadingList include Hatchet, Cryptid Hunters, The River, Two Degrees, and The Hunger Games. Each is scored on shared themes (survival, nature vs. civilization, and instinct), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 6–10), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Call of the Wild reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 6–10), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?: Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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Books like The Call of the Wild

10 books similar to The Call of the Wild

Why each is a match

Books like The Call of the Wild for younger readers (K–2)

Books like The Call of the Wild for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Common questions

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