first published in 1903 the call of the wild is regarded as jack londons masterpiece based on londons experiences as a gold prospector in the canadian wilderness and his ideas about nature and the struggle for existence the call of the wild is a tale about unbreakable spirit and the fight for survival in the frozen alaskan klondike jess aarons greatest ambition is to be the fastest runner in his grade hes been practicing all summer and cant wait to see his classmates faces when he beats them all but on the first day of school a new girl boldly crosses over to the boys side and outruns everyonethats not a very promising beginning for a friendship but jess and leslie burke become inseparable together they create terabithia a magical kingdom in the woods where the two of them reign as king and queen and their imaginations set the only limits