Beatty, Robert. Serafina
and the Black Cloak. Disney
Hyperion, 2015. $16.99. 293 pages.
Language: G (2 swears). Violence:
PG (children are swallowed by the cloak, but in the end they are okay, mountain lion protects cubs). Sexual content: G.
In 1899, Serafina lives in the basement of the Biltmore
Estate in the woods of North Carolina. The
mansion is owned by the Vanderbilt’s and has over 200 rooms, but none of guests
or the employees knows about Serafina.
Her daddy helped build the mansion and maintains the equipment, but
because Serafina looks a little different he doesn’t want anyone to know about
her. Serafina is the chief rat catcher
and is so small that she sneaks around the house without being seen. One night she sees a man in a black cloak
trying to capture a girl. She fights
him, but in the end he captures the girl in the black cloak. Other children go missing. Serafina makes her first friend with Braeden
Vanderbilt, the nephew of the owners. Together
they decide to discover who the man is in the black cloak and why he is taking the
children. Serafina search leads her to
truths about her past and who she really is.
The story is spooky, but not too scary and resolves with all the victims
alive. Serafina and Braeden are smart
and kind, even if they don’t fit in with the other children. The background of a famous mansion is perfect
for this mystery and the house is almost a character itself, with its secret
hiding places and stairs. The
supernatural element is original and well-explained.
EL-ADVISABLE.
Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.
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