Beijing, the year before the 2008 Olympics.  It’s summer, and unbearably hot and humid. Beyond Xiao Mei’s alleyway lie massive construction sites, huge earth-moving machines and brash new tower blocks, transforming the old city forever. Now her old house is going to be knocked down too -  and it’s all her fault. But Xiao Mei and her family are not the only ones affected by the threatening new landscape. The lives of four weasels - huangshulang - and a vulnerable boy named Stone are inextricably bound up with the fate of the family.  How will they survive the summer and where will they all end up?

​

384 pages.