Stella

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2021

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-12

Chapters 13-17

Chapters 18-21

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Discussion Questions

Background

Medical Context: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD is a disorder that can afflict anyone who has been exposed to trauma. This can be direct physical trauma, like being in a car accident, or it can be witnessed trauma, like seeing the September 11 terrorist attacks from a distance. Experiencing trauma does not mean that someone will develop PTSD. Many people will have negative psychological consequences in the aftermath of trauma, but PTSD only occurs when the consequences are ongoing and negatively impact a person’s life. People with PTSD can experience flashbacks, avoidance, extreme anxiety, and other mental health conditions. PTSD is not confined just to people, however. Animals can experience it as well, sometimes as a result of abuse or neglect, sometimes after experiencing a traumatic weather event such as a tornado. Police dogs and military dogs can develop PTSD as well.

There are treatments for PTSD for both humans and animals. These treatments can involve help from psychological or behavioral specialists. Some veterinarians provide these services to animals. Medications can also help those who experience PTSD find relief. One key psychological intervention is exposure therapy. During exposure therapy, people or animals are slowly exposed to what scares them while they are simultaneously taught how to relax in those circumstances. In the novel, Cloe unknowingly performs a form of exposure therapy with Stella when she acclimates her to the teeter-totter while providing comfort and support. Stella ultimately overcomes her PTSD in the novel, and there is hope for humans and animals in the real world to overcome their own PTSD with time and work.

Social Context: Working Dogs

Some dogs act as pets, and that is their primary role in life. They live with their owners and provide them with companionship and affection. Other dogs, however, have jobs to do. Certain breeds thrive when having a job and become easily bored and destructive if they do not have a job. Some working dogs work to protect people while others help people do their jobs better. Sometimes these jobs are dangerous. There are numerous types of working dogs depicted in Stella.

One type of working dog that is central to the novel is the bomb-sniffing dog. This is the type of dog Stella was before the novel began. Dogs have a strong sense of smell, and they can detect certain chemicals and odors at levels far lower than human beings can. Certain dogs can be taught to notify their handler when a bomb or explosive is nearby. These dogs are used by police departments and by the military, and they are often employed in places where explosives may be present. Their detecting ability helps them avert explosions and save lives.

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Another type of working dog alluded to in the novel is the seizure dog. There are two types of seizure dogs. Some of them are trained to sniff out seizures before they happen. In the novel, Stella exhibits the ability to predict when Cloe is about to have a seizure. However, some experts question whether a dog can be trained to sniff out a seizure before it happens. The other type of seizure dog is trained in how to react when a person has a seizure. These dogs may position themselves to stop a person from getting hurt when they fall to the ground during a seizure, and they may be trained to alert others of the seizure once it has happened. As such, these dogs can help people who experience seizures by keeping them safe and getting them help.

These are only two types of roles working dogs fulfill. Dogs can also help pull sleds, corral sheep, serve as guard dogs, and help the police apprehend criminals. Many of these working dogs, like Stella, thrive in providing valuable services that play on their individual strengths as well as the strengths of their breed. Stella encounters other working dogs, such as Nando and the police dogs, throughout the novel.