The animal figures are just stone carvings, aren't they? That's how they seem to most people -- decorations on a low wall that separates a busy street from the decrepit house in which Dinah and her mother are living. But the precocious eleven-year-old sees things differently. She spots the lioness first, then other of the creatures, leaping off the wall, coming to her aid. After years of longing, Dinah believes she's finally found safe haven. But as this taut and suspenseful page-turner reveals, Dinah's magical menagerie doesn't just protect her from enemies. It can also keep out friends.