Support students as they read The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo with this ready-to-use reading comprehension PDF. This resource includes 100 comprehension questions across 10 reading sets, plus a detailed answer key to make planning, teaching and checking answers easier.
The questions guide students through the major events, characters and themes of the novel. Students will explore Despereaux’s bravery, Roscuro’s connection to light and darkness, Miggery Sow’s dream of becoming a princess, Princess Pea’s empathy, and the importance of stories, soup, forgiveness and hope.
Each reading set includes simple recall questions as well as advanced critical thinking questions. Students will practise finding key details, explaining character motivation, making inferences, identifying symbolism, discussing theme and supporting answers with clues from the text.
What’s included:
• 10 reading sets
• 100 reading comprehension questions
• Detailed answer key
• Simple / recall questions
• Advanced / critical thinking questions
• Character, theme, symbolism, inference and text evidence questions
• Print-and-go PDF format
Perfect for:
• Years 2–5
• Novel studies
• Guided reading
• Literature circles
• Homework
• Reading groups
• Relief teacher lessons
This The Tale of Despereaux comprehension resource is ideal for teachers who want a meaningful, low-prep novel study that helps students understand both the story events and the deeper messages of the book.
Please note: This resource does not include a copy of the novel. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Kate DiCamillo, Candlewick Press or any rights holders.
