Serafina and the Black Cloak

By Robert Beatty

Published 2015, 293 pages

Synopsis: The year is 1899. Twelve-year-old Serafina lives with her father in the basement of Biltmore Estate. Her father is a maintenance worker there and for reasons of his own, he keeps his daughter hidden from everyone. She is only allowed to roam the grounds at night. It is during one of her nighttime jaunts that she witnesses the Man in the Black Cloak kidnap one of the children who is visiting Biltmore with her parents. Never having had any friends, Serafina is compelled to rescue this child. But as other children start to disappear, she begins to feel that all hope is lost. As she unravels the mysterious kidnappings, she also unravels the details of her own past and finds that the two stories are related.

Review: The only reason this is four stars and not five stars is because it took me a bit of time to get involved. But then, about 1/4 of the way into it, it just took off and never slowed down. It was a very quick read but a lot happened and it got pretty deep. There were a few mysteries surrounding the main character and they were addressed in a satisfying way by the end of the book. I was glad it didn’t leave questions unanswered.

Side note: I love books that take place in my home state of North Carolina, especially in the mountains. There is magic, mystery, darkness, and beauty in the Blue Ridge Mountains; that much is clear from the sheer volume of books written about them. I’m happy that this great little book added another tale to the folklore of this place.

Rating: 4 boots

Recommendation: Ages 10-12. It’s easy to read, but at times was quite scary!