The Pearl by the numbers
John Steinbeck · first published 1947 · dataset 2026-10-24
Who it is not for: readers below 7th grade: no school list in our data assigns it earlier.
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Length and reading time
| Pages (dataset edition) | 96 |
|---|---|
| Estimated words | 26,000 |
| Reading time, 300 wpm (fast) | 1 h 28 min |
| Reading time, 250 wpm (average adult) | 1 h 46 min |
| Reading time, 200 wpm (careful / younger reader) | 2 h 12 min |
| Days at 20 minutes a day | 6 |
| Lexile measure | 1010L |
At 96 pages, The Pearl is longer than 29.1% of the 2,330 books on the reading lists we track whose page count we know (2,809 books are tracked in all). It is shorter than the median book listed for grades 6-8 (212 pages).
The Pearl is 96 pages; the median book listed for grades 6-8 is 212 pages and the median of all 2,330 listed books with a page count is 187.
Source: Page counts of 2,330 books on U.S. school reading lists, bookstatistics.com · Dataset snapshot 2026-10-24
Show the numbers
| Book | Pages |
|---|---|
| The Pearl | 96 pages |
| Median book listed for grades 6-8 | 212 pages |
| Median of all listed books | 187 pages |
Word counts and reading times are estimates: pages × 275 words, divided by the reading speed. Your edition's page count and your own pace will differ.
Where The Pearl is on school reading lists
3 appearances (0.0% of all 20,804 listings in the dataset), drawn from 3 published lists, in grades 7th–11th. 3 of the 3 carry a link to the published source document.
States (2): California, Massachusetts.
| Grade | Listings |
|---|---|
| 7th | 1 |
| 8th | 1 |
| 11th | 1 |
Sources
- Medway High School (MA) — Summer Reading 2025, assigned book by grade · checked 2026-10-07
- CA CCSS ELA grade 8 novella introduction · checked 2026-05-29
- CCSS ELA Appendix B, grades 6-8 exemplar · checked 2026-05-29
Questions
How many pages is The Pearl?
The Pearl by John Steinbeck is 96 pages in the edition recorded in our dataset. Page counts vary by edition and format; at about 275 words per page that is roughly 26,000 words.
How long does it take to read The Pearl?
About 1 h 46 min at an average adult pace of 250 words per minute (1 h 28 min at 300 wpm, 2 h 12 min at 200 wpm). At 20 minutes a day that is about 6 days.
Is The Pearl on school reading lists?
Yes. It appears 3 times on the U.S. school reading lists, award lists and curricula in our dataset, in 2 states plus 1 national-curriculum listing, most often in grades 6-8. That ranks it #2,551 of 2,809 listed books.
Related
- The Pearl: reading level, grades and similar booksOn ReadingList, our sister site for school reading lists.
- More by John SteinbeckOf Mice and Men · The Grapes of Wrath
- Books of about the same lengthThe Whipping Boy (96 pp.) · Heart of Darkness (96 pp.) · Love That Dog (92 pp.) · Fourth Grade Rats (90 pp.)
- The most assigned books, rankedAll 2,809 listed books start here.
- Book length statisticsHow long assigned books are, by grade.
Cite this page
<a href="https://bookstatistics.com/books/the-pearl/">The Pearl statistics</a>. Book Statistics, a Figures Bureau site. [The Pearl statistics](https://bookstatistics.com/books/the-pearl/). Book Statistics, a Figures Bureau site. [url=https://bookstatistics.com/books/the-pearl/]The Pearl statistics[/url]. Book Statistics, a Figures Bureau site.