Book excerpt: From a hiding place behind the courtyard moon gate, eleven-year-old Zhong Mei Lin hears her father defend her as "a daughter of a thousand pieces of gold" to corrupt village leader, Liu Long Tang. This expression, highest praise for a Chinese daughter, means she is a valuable as a son. Little do any of them realize that she will soon prove this worth not only to her parents and Liu Long Tang, but to provincial government authorities and to a whole new world she hasn't even dreamed of yet! Set against the rapidly changing social landscape brought on by the economic reforms of Deng Xiaoping and China's one-child family planning policy, Mei Lin's journey is one the reader will not soon forget. Rich in details of Chinese culture and tradition, this is a story about standing up for oneself, and about holding on to the good in the past while also making room for the future. Written for a young teen audience, the book is also enjoying growing adult interest --especially among China adoptive parents, family members and friends as well as with others interested in learning more about China in an entertaining format.