Twelve-year-old Lily Vanessa Shields is in for a wild surprise when her hunt for a stray cat's owner leads her straight to the girls of the Twelve Candles Club. As happy as she is to meet the TCCers, Lily Vanessa isn't sure whether the girls will accept an African-American girl as a friend. But the club members' warm welcome helps erase Lily Vanessa's fears, and soon all of them are caught up in the search for Cat's home.

When the trail brings the girls to a rundown house on the edge of town, they are hired by the owner to care for a gazillion cats and dogs and one nasty old goat. They've never taken on a job like this! Is this pet-sitting project more than Lily Vanessa and her new friends can handle?

What Has Lily Vanessa Gotten Herself Into?