Serafina and the Black Cloak, written by Robert Beatty, is set in 1899 at the Biltmore Estates, an actual place you can visit in Asheville, North Carolina.
Serafina is a strange and inquisitive 12 year old girl that will entice your own curiosity, raise the hair on the back of your neck, and make you feel like a kid again. Serafina is the unlikely champion for the disappearing children in the house, even though she is living almost like an animal in the basement of the mansion without permission and spends her nights catching rats. Her father hides her away and insists she keep out of sight. Serafina knows how to move without being seen and watches over the house like a fierce little mama cub.
I picked this book up on a whim in the children section. It’s an easy read and once you start you could probably finish the book in one sitting, that is, if you don’t have little kids to distract you. I finished the book in three days, only because I could only read at nap time, and I am hungry for more. I am beyond excited that Serafina and the Twisted Staff will be available July 12th.
When a strange man wearing a sinister black cloak chases a girl to Serafina’s basement and somehow consumes her completely within the insidious and other worldly black cloak, Serafina is determined to stop the horror she witnessed happen to anyone else. Her bravery and determination to save the other children, even to her own peril, is heartwarming and endearing.
Although her father always warned her never to go into the forest, "For there are many dangers there, and they will ensnare your soul", when her new, and only, friend is in danger that’s exactly where she goes! What she learns there surprised, shocked and delighted me. It opened up a strange and unique new world, leaving so many more adventures to be had!
If you haven’t read it, I urge you to give it a try. Fantastic for the young, old and everyone in between.