Everything you need to understand or teach All Cats Are Gray by Andre Norton.
There are three mysteries to be solved in "All Cats Are Gray." The first is the mystery of Steena's personality. She is silent most of the time, but when she speaks others listen carefully. She has identified great riches for those who would have them, yet has avoided taking advantage of her own knowledge of where fortunes are made; she has even turned down offers of rewards from the grateful people her ideas have helped to make rich. The secret of her personality only reveals itself during her adventure on the spaceship Empress of Mars.
The second mystery is that of her cat, Bat, the only gift she has ever accepted. It behaves in a decorous fashion, draping itself around Steena's shoulders when she moves about, and sitting calmly on tavern tables when Steena chooses to sit. The third mystery is that of the derelict spaceship Empress of...