4ofus Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Just a recommendation ~ my boys can't put this one down today. If your boy hasn't read it yet, check it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 I love that book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentuckymom Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Just curiously, how old were your kids when they read it? I read it for the first time recently, thinking it might make a good read aloud for my animal crazed boy, but, while I liked it, I was really put off by all the violence and cruelty Buck endures. I'm just not ready to expose my 9 year old to that yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Oh I LOVED this book! I read it for the first time with my then-8 year old, and he liked it well enough, but I rank it with one of my favorite books ever. I immediately thought less (as if that were possible) of the school I attended for not introducing me to COTW when I was a kid so that I could have enjoyed it longer. It was certainly tragic, but the scene in which Buck pulls the ice-bound sled free? The ending? Loved it all. My son actually makes fun of me for loving it so much. I need to make him read it again now that he is 10 and might appreciate it more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Glad to see this. It's slated for next year, when ds is 11. I read it when I was a teen as English was my fourth language. I never forgot it. I've been waiting to introduce it to ds10 as he is a bit sensitive sometimes (but I think that's a good thing. He doesn't seem to agree, though). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shannon in TN Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Just curiously, how old were your kids when they read it? I read it for the first time recently, thinking it might make a good read aloud for my animal crazed boy, but, while I liked it, I was really put off by all the violence and cruelty Buck endures. I'm just not ready to expose my 9 year old to that yet. I tried to get my dd to read it (it was one of my faves growing up; also White Fang) but she couldn't finish it for the very reason I bolded. Of course, this was a few years ago, so I may have her read it again next year. She'll fight me on it, but I really think it's worth the reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madteaparty Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 My DS started reading this at 9 and said it was too soon for him. He is an average reader, as far as I can tell anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ofus Posted May 7, 2014 Author Share Posted May 7, 2014 9 & 11. It is violent & brutal, but there's so much to talk about!! One of my sons gobbled it up. The other one is pacing himself, reading a chapter, digesting, returning to it. They both love it, they just are responding differently to it. It's really quite amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 I wouldn't have a child read it until about 7th grade - not because of vocabulary, because it could be read and understood before then, but because of content. I don't think it is just the violence but because you need a bit more maturity to understand some of the themes of the book than an elementary student typically has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watertribe Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 Just finished this as our nighttime read aloud with both boys (10, 14-who already read it). They loved it and we are now on to White Fang. As a read aloud, we stop frequently and talk about what's happening. I'll throw in another great animal/nature book: The Yearling by Marjorie Kinan Rawlings. Just fantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentuckymom Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 I'm glad to hear that many have saved this book until a bit later. I know it varies by the kid and some 9 year olds or younger could handle it, but I think most kids couldn't, or could maybe handle the violence but many of the themes would go over their heads. I may nudge him towards it sometime in middle school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 We too are saving this one for later. Plenty of other dog books for elementary years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 We have it on the docket for next year (8th grade for my two boys, who are 11 and 13). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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