Books like The Call of the Wild
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 titlesbelow are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, 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.
10 books similar to The Call of the Wild
HatchetGary Paulsen · 1020L
Island of the Blue DolphinsScott O'Dell · 1000L
Life of PiYann Martel · 830L
The Hunger GamesSuzanne Collins · 810L
RefugeeAlan Gratz · 800L
A Long Walk to WaterLinda Sue Park · 720L
NightElie Wiesel · 590L
Salt to the SeaRuta Sepetys · 560L
Maus: A Survivor's TaleArt Spiegelman
A Separate PeaceJohn Knowles · 1110L
Why each is a match
- Hatchet1020L
- Shares themes of survival, same genre (Adventure), and a close reading level (1020L vs 1120L).
- Island of the Blue Dolphins1000L
- Shares themes of survival and a close reading level (1000L vs 1120L).
- Life of Pi830L
- Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (9–12).
- The Hunger Games810L
- Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (6–9).
- Refugee800L
- Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (5–9).
- A Long Walk to Water720L
- Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (5–8).
- Night590L
- Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (9–12).
- Salt to the Sea560L
- Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (8–12).
- Maus: A Survivor's Talegrades 9–12
- Shares themes of survival and overlapping grades (9–12).
- A Separate Peace1110L
- A close reading level (1110L vs 1120L).