By Robert Beatty
4RBooks: 5/6, grades 5-8
Amazon rating: 4.7/5, grades 3-7
Good Reads: 3.93/5
Common Sense Media: 4.5/5, age 8+
293 pages
Synopsis:
Serafina is an unusual girl. 12 years old, she lives in secret with her pa in the basement of the Biltmore Estate where he works as a maintenance man. She also has an unusual look: brown and blond shades throughout her hair, amber gold eyes, four toes on each foot, and a thin, slight body. She sees as well during the night as she does during the day and can walk softly and silently.
Serafina spends her nights being the unofficial rat catcher of the estate, and she spends her days sneaking throughout the house, listening, and learning as much as possible. She wants to know more about her past, including who her mother is, but most of all, she wants to know what it’s like to have a friend. The estate has plenty of children, but she must live in secret, so she and her father won’t lose their home.
Then, children start disappearing. Serafina knows that it is a man in a black cloak, but she doesn’t know who the man is. As she tries to solve the mystery of the missing children, she makes friends with a young boy named Braedon, nephew of the Vanderbilts who own the estate. They work together to solve the case and find the culprit which leads them through many adventures: being attacked by the man in the cloak, sneaking through the house in the vents, surviving nights lost in the forest, and an attack from a mountain lion. These adventures not only lead to the discovery and capture of the man in the black cloak, but also help Serafina discover the truth of who, and what, she is.
Parental Guidance: high
The attacks by the man in the black cloak are scary with lots of chasing,
screaming, and injuries.
Under other circumstances, the description of the capture of the first girl
and a later attack on Serafina read like the beginning to a sexual assault.
Serafina is attacked and injured by the man in the black cloak and a
mountain lion.
Graphic descriptions of the children evaporating into black smoke that is
absorbed within the cloak.
Scary images throughout the book: empty graves, deserted town,
cemetery, hidden creatures, trees falling to block the road, and people disappearing.
Recommendation:
This is a fear-filled horror movie of a children’s book. I think many children would enjoy the suspense. Sensitive children who are prone to be fearful and have nightmares might find this a difficult read. Girls who have gone through sexual assaults might find the two detailed attacks on the young girls hard to read.
Overall, it’s an interesting story and kept my interest throughout. It would be a great Halloween read. There are great opportunities for discussions about obeying parents, making friends, discovering your true self, and realizing what you do and how you live is more important than your background or circumstances.
It’s the first book of a four-book series so if children enjoy this novel, they should be inspired to continue reading about Serafina.
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