Stella

Consider both Diana and Esperanza. What are their different approaches to helping Stella? Which is more effective? Why is Cloe able to help Stella more than either of the adult women?

Cloe is a girl with epilepsy. Research what epilepsy is and then explain how dogs are sometimes able to help people who experience epilepsy.

Stella is a bomb-sniffing dog. Research different ways that bomb-sniffing dogs have been able to help avert disasters. Research one or two of these averted disasters in detail and share them in a narrative essay.

Consider the different attitudes Stella has toward herself. When is she most confident? When is she least confident? What accounts for these differences in her?

Most of the dogs in the novel are working dogs. Describe these dogs and their jobs. Then research what other tasks working dogs perform in day to day life. Consider dogs that help people with disabilities as well as those who work in other capacities.

The importance of communication is a key theme in the novel as Stella has difficulty communicating with the humans in her world. Compare and contrast the different ways that Stella and the humans communicate.

Esperanza wants Stella to stay in the feed room at the beginning of the novel. Why is this the case? By the end of the novel, Esperanza has changed her mind and allows Stella to be a house dog. What accounts for this change? Explain how Esperanza came to this new understanding.

Write a character analysis of Cloe. What matters to her? What are her primary character traits? Compare and contrast her way of handling Stella with her mother’s. What accounts for these differences?