Myra Charles, age 16, of Wilmington, Del., for her question:

WHEN DID JACK LONDON LIVE?

Jack London was a famous American fiction writer who specialized in novels and stories about the exciting experiences from his own life. He was born in San Francisco, Calif., in 1876 and lived until 1916.

"The Call of the Wild" is one of London's most famous books. It was published in 1903 and recreated London's adventures in the Yukon when gold was discovered in the Klondike area of Alaska in 1896.

London spent his childhood on the Oakland waterfront. Coming from a poor family, he earned money to help support his family by selling newspapers, working in a bowling alley, in a cannery and on an ice wagon.

When he was 10 years old, London discovered books. He couldn't seem to get enough to read. Then when he was only 15, he purchased a sailboat and started his long adventure with the ocean.

London wrote stories about strong men, swift action and wild fights. But all of his work had a gentle quality.