Book · Fantasy and science fiction
The tale of Despereaux : being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread
by Kate DiCamillo
Page count, estimated reading time and reading quiz: everything to know before you start The tale of Despereaux : being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread, and the Vread challenge to get to the end.
- Pages
- 121
- Reading time
- ≈ 2 h 10 min
- Checkpoints
- 4
- Genre
- Fantasy, SF
Free on iPhone and Android.
How long does it take to read The tale of Despereaux : being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread?
At 121 pages, The tale of Despereaux : being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread is a short book. Expect about 2 hours 10 minutes of reading to finish it, based on 250 words per page and an average reading speed of 230 words per minute. A fast reader will go quicker; a careful read (or reading in a second language) will take longer.
At 30 minutes a day, that is about 5 days of reading. At the median pace of Vread readers, 72 pages per reading day, it takes 2 reading days. For a book of this length (under 250 pages), Vread readers who finish it take a median of 4 days between the first and the last checkpoint (Vread Reading Barometer 2026).
- 30 minutes a day5 days
- Vread median pace (72 pp./day)2 days
Estimates; see the method at the bottom of the page.
Prove you read it
The Vread challenge: 4 checkpoints
- Checkpoint 1, page 30
- Checkpoint 2, page 61
- Checkpoint 3, page 91
- Checkpoint 4, page 121
In Vread, The tale of Despereaux : being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread is split into 4 checkpoints, one every 30 pages or so. At each checkpoint, a question covers the passage you have just read: a correct answer validates the step, and your progress moves forward like a training plan.
The challenge: validate all 4 checkpoints through to the last page. No giant quiz at the end, no summary to copy out: short questions along the way that prove the book was actually read. It also works as a reading quiz to check your understanding before a test.
Also available in French on Vread.
Illustrative example
What a checkpoint looks like
A short, precise question about the pages you have just read: a character, a place, a choice.
The answer is in the text: reply in the app.
This is not a question from The tale of Despereaux : being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread: to avoid spoilers, the real questions stay in the app.
Answer in the app, one checkpoint at a time.
Summary, quiz, reviews: frequently asked questions
How many pages is The tale of Despereaux : being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread?
How long does it take to read The tale of Despereaux : being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread?
Is there a quiz on The tale of Despereaux : being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread?
Where can I find a summary of The tale of Despereaux : being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread?
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Read The tale of Despereaux : being the story of a mouse, a princess, some soup, and a spool of thread with Vread
Add the book to your library, read at your own pace in whatever format you use, and validate each checkpoint. Vread is free on iPhone and Android.
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