White Fang

Gr 7 Up—This is a story of a wolf-dog's survival from birth to maturity. London describes the struggles between man and animal, artfully depicting how both have to overcome struggles from their own kind as well as each other. The story begins prior to the birth of the pup, White Fang. Narrator Matthew Steward does an excellent job of portraying the two men, Bill and Henry, who are accompanied by a team of six dogs pulling a sled with a coffin strapped to it. It is during their difficult journey through the Yukon when they first encounter the she-wolf who lures each of their sled dogs to be devoured by the pack of wolves. Bill decides to try to kill the she-wolf in hopes of saving the last of their dogs, but he does not return, and Henry hears the suffering cries of his friend. Listeners will be captivated by the fight that Henry puts up to defend his life, the coffin, and his last two dogs, but when a search party arrives and saves him, the story abruptly changes to the hardships that the she-wolf endures to survive with her pack and, eventually, her cubs. In part three, White Fang becomes mistrustful of humans as he suffers inhumane treatment at the hands of his cruel owners. Ultimately, he comes full circle, and his fierce pride restored, when he saves the life of the man who initially saved him.—Sheila Acosta, Cody Library, San Antonio, TX