Serafina and the Black Cloak

sissyfina - Book review By: Serafina DeMunno My book is about Serafina and the black cloak. This book is about a girl name Serafina lives in the bottom of the Biltmore mansion she is not supposed be seen or heard at all by anyone. She lives with her father and gets into a lot of trouble to one day she is seen and no more is she a secret. My author is Robert Beatty. My opinion of this book is that it's really creepy, I think this book is creepy because it's about this black deep dark secret and dungeon in there's all types of mystical creatures in there, but they're not really mystical they're just really really odd. I like this book because it really speaks to me not it says my name it just really good book he uses very detailed words and is very specific about certain characters. This book makes you feel like you're standing right next to her watching everything she does feeling everything she feels in hearing everything she hears. This genre is realistic fiction because it's about a girl who has a hard life with her mother and her father who is very poor and they're not eating much. I think this is realistic fiction because this stuff can happen in real life to real people. All the drama that's going on in her life and all the actions that she does and all the people even the Biltmore mansion is real all the stuff is real in that could be real people in real life. I think the audience I would like to read this book is 13+ because some of the stuff that happens in here is pretty dark and deep in very secretive and it could scare you a little bit. I don't think this book is for little children because it's got a lot of blood and it's got a lot of scary nighttime woods actions. I think the internal conflict that Serafina is that when she found out that her dad is not really her dad and she has a big secret because her mother left her half dead in the woods it leaves a big hole in her heart and she really doesn't know who she is. I think the external conflict ear is that she's trying to fight this man the black cloak and she's having young master Vanderbilt help her.

August 31, 2015
Beatty's suspenseful debut opens in 1899 in Ashville, N.C., at the historic Biltmore Estate. Twelve-year-old Serafina and her father secretly live in the basement of the Biltmore, where he keeps the mansion's many mechanisms in working order. He forbids Serafinaâwho was born with four toes on each foot, golden eyes, and other physical peculiaritiesâfrom wandering upstairs among the Vanderbilts or into the woods, where he found and rescued her as an infant. One night, Serafina sees a man capture a girl, who vanishes into his cloak. With more children disappearing, she teams up with fellow loner Braeden Vanderbilt, nephew of the estate's owner, to search for the so-called Man in the Black Cloak, leading them deep into the forest. Serafina's quest to understand herself and her unknown family history, along with some truly creepy moments and imagery (during one encounter, the Man in the Black Cloak "seemed to float on the violence of the battle, his decaying, blood-dripping hands reaching outward as he came upon Braeden"), makes for an eerie historical mystery. Ages 8â12. Agent: Bill Contardi, Brandt & Hochman.

May 1, 2015
Serafina mostly enjoyed her life at the Biltmore Estate until the other children started disappearing at night. Motherless Serafina has grown up isolated and in secret in the basement of the Vanderbilts' Biltmore Estate. It is close to the machines her father repairs and the rats she catches nightly. As the Chief Rat Catcher, Serafina has uncanny physical abilities that match her peculiar looks and allow her to hunt these sneaky vermin. She applies these talents to find out who or what is snatching children staying at Biltmore, a terrifying encounter with the cloaked child thief forcing her out of hiding to save the other children and herself. The Vanderbilts' orphaned nephew, Braeden, proves to be a great ally, and they work together to stop the kidnapper before they become the next victims. Beatty spins an enchanting mystery through lonely Serafina's golden eyes. As she begins to defy her loving, protective father and involve herself in the estate's doings, she comes ever closer to uncovering the villain and the secret behind her own origins. Each new clue adds another brush stroke to this keenly perceptive portrait of a young girl searching for answers about herself and the world around her. The book leaves readers satisfied with the plot but hungry for more about its unusual heroine. Adults and children will eagerly follow Serafina from the basement into a world of self-discovery, justice, and new friendships. (Fantasy. 8-12)

COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2015

Gr 5-7-A mystery set at a sumptuous estate, featuring a courageous female protagonist entangled in a hair-raising adventure. It is 1899 and 12-year-old Serafina lives with her Pa in the basement of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. Pa had come to Asheville years ago to help with construction and stayed on as a fixer of all things mechanical in the 250-room mansion. For reasons unknown to Serafina, they must keep their nightly lodgings in the basement a secret as well as the existence of Serafina herself. She has developed catlike skills in exploring the vast Biltmore estate and enjoys sneaking through heating vents and other small spaces in order to eavesdrop on staff and inhabitants. Her quiet existence is shattered when she witnesses a strange man dragging a tearful young girl down into the bowels of the vast home. The man is wearing a large black cloak and reassures the young girl that everything is okay. Suddenly, the captive struggles to get away from the man and his cloak appears to come alive. It wraps itself around the terrified child as she calls out for help. Serafina is frozen with fear and before she can react, the girl has vanished. Serafina escapes, thanks to her agility, and discovers the next day that a visitor of the Vanderbilts by the name of Clara has disappeared during the night. More children disappear and it becomes increasingly obvious that Serafina's new best friend, Braeden, is the man in the black cloak's newest target. The story drips with suspense, wrapping readers into the narrative just as easily as the man in the black cloak binds his young victims. Serafina's friendship with Braeden is heartfelt and believable. The ending is tied up too neatly, but that's a minor quibble; most horror and mystery fans will enjoy this book. VERDICT A creepy, suspenseful read that's not quite as dark as the works of Neil Gaiman or Adam Gidwitz.-Julie Shatterly, W. A. Bess Elementary School, Gastonia, NC

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2015
Grades 4-7 Serafina, daughter of the custodian at the infamous Biltmore Estate, spends her days and nights underfoot of the rich and famous, though she excels at never being seen, hiding in tiny spaces where no one else can fit. One night, she sees a man in a swirling black cape do something terrible to another young girl: he tells her not to fear, wraps his cloak around her, and she disappears, screaming. Serafina is determined not to be next on the cloaked man's list. She meets and makes a true friend in Braeden Vanderbilt, who cares for her deeply, and together they're sure they'll find the truth behind the Man in the Black Cloak. While investigating the eerie goings-on in the forest behind the estate, she discovers the secrets of her own origins and of the things that lurk in the darkness, threatening doom for any who cross them. The historical and social significance of the Biltmore and the Vanderbilts will likely be lost on young readers, but the chills and adventure will still surely please.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)