Serafina and the Black Cloak (Serafina Series #1)

This book was fantasic! A great combination of excitement, history, suspense, mystery and family. This would be a great book for kids and adults. It is a little scary, so if you or your child are easily scared I would suggest reading this together for storytime. All in all it is a well rounded book that flows nicely and pulls the reader in. Highly recommended and a great book from a brand new author!

You can't put down this amazing book!!!!!

5 stars

I am a forty-something woman who reads a lot of YA &Kid Lit because I spend time working/reading with elementary-aged kids, so I like to stay current with the latest books. Having spent my childhood summers at a camp just down the road from the Biltmore, I was very excited about this book. I listened to it, beginning to end, this Sunday on a road trip home. While I enjoyed the book, I couldn't wait to get home and check what the target readership was, because there was a definite disparity there, in my opinion. The writing level and story level seemed to be targeted at upper elementary grades, but some of the details were far too graphic and spooky for that general population. As a reading mentor, I would have a difficult time recommending this book to children that I did not know personally (and relatively well). I would only have recommended this to one of my three children at the target age. SMALL SPOILER AHEAD: The passages that describe the children's abductions by the man in the black cloak are very graphic, both in the dialogue and in the descriptive passages. I found the children's pleas for help particularly troubling. I think that a significant number of upper elementary children would find these passages disturbing - some to the point of bad dreams. END SPOILERS There were other segments that I found unnecessarily graphic (as in, it was not necessary to enhance the story), but not to the point that it would keep me from recommending the book to others. I'm still torn on exactly to whom I would recommend this book. It wasn't deep enough to entertain an adult audience (as many of today's YA books are) - but I'm just not quite comfortable recommending this book for the target audience. I would only recommend this book to 9 and 10 year olds who I know have strong wills and a bit of love for the macabre.

This was probably one of the best books I've ever read. The plot was great, there were many twists and surprises, and it was just amazing! I love how Mr. Beatty described and wrote the plot so carefully, and I also love how Serafins got a friend to help her stop the man in the black cloak in the story. Great read! I think you should read it if you like adventure fiction!

This special book from Disney takes you on a mysterious adventure that will leave you "spellbound!" The plot is always changing and ever engaging. Now I can't wait to read the sequel! I couldn't put this down! It may be a young adult book, but as an adult who loves the Biltmore Manti on I fell in love with the depiction, accuracy and details the author so eloquently displayed!

It was an amazing book except at some parts i got a little creeped out :)

In class this is our read aloud book, an this time I want to know whats coming, every other time my teacher says ok lets clean up, in a part that is suspensful, and sometimes a book is sad, and now i want ti be ready for something!!! Good thing: We JUST started reading, and we watched the trailer for it and I was just like, I know my teacher is going to stop somewhere that I want to know what will happen next!!! So I'll try getting it Saturday! Bad thing: I don't have any bad things!!! But so far me and my friends in class thought she was a cat, thanks to the trailer her eyes were so like a cats!!! And she can see as bright as she can in the morning at night, and shes a crc!!! We could possibly fall out of our seats wheb my teacher stops it again tomorrow, and the BEST thing is, in every other fourth grade class that has read this, the boys said, they litterally said: BEST BOOK EVER!!! And the boys in my class want her to keep on reading, and so far, and probably for the rest of the time, I'll agree with the boys in the other fourth grade classes!!! So gonna check if I can buy this on Saturday, because for the rest of the week, I'm busy!!!

Such a fun easy read I couldn't put it down! Great story line.

Adults and children alike will be enchanted

Ok, as I close the 1st Serafina book and try to gather my thoughts. I did not fall head over heels with this one. It is considered a Young Adult read. I agree and will post a suggestion to parents/guardians who have children focused to read this book to either read in conjunction with them or before them. I do not wish to give any spoilers and will only give my PERSONAL opinion. The story starts out nicely as a story then kind of gets into a dark, twisty place in the middle before scrolling back into the nice story. I loved the writing and was surprised by it, glad that I did not look at others reviews prior to reading. As an educator though (forgive me for repeating myself) this read should be a combined effort between parents/guardians and the young adult reader. Looking forward to reading Serafina and the Twisted Staff however, need to accomplish reading one more book prior to it. Have Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on ice until my Nephew a.k.a. Reading Buddy, finishes summer (ruin summer) reading work. Happy Reading. Catch Us Reading A Book

The setting takes place in biltmore estate which was interesting. The CRC(chief rat catcher) while on her nightly business, witnisses a childs misterious capture that leads to further examination and her meeting mr vanderbilts nephew. The story has many twists and turns with secrets being slowly uncovered. The reason i did not give thus book five stars was because i figured out who was capturing children way before it confirmed it. Otherwise, this was an amazing book-Quills

Overall I thought that this bookdid a great job of explaining all of the little details and had a great base story and theme.

I read the smple and its really amazing i couldnt put it down

So cool

Loved this book! Loved the setting - the Biltmore Estate!!! The year is 1899. It's a truly different and original story. Serafina is a great heroine. Just 12 years old and "different' - but hidden away from the everyday world. There's the element of upstairs/downstairs, and elements of supernatural. Budding friendship. Solving mysteries. Growing up and learning about ourselvees. So much going on in this book. And I sure hope the hints that there is more to come in future books will be delivered by the author. I highly recommend this book to others - young and old.

What a great book! I am an avid reader and mother of two. I read Serefina prior to my children and loved it! It is in true Disney format and very well written for its target age group and all. Mr.Beatty is able to accomplish his story line while not pursing the "scary parts" in just enough detail to not upset young readers yet keep the suspense. We love Serefina and her adventures and can't wait for more to come. If you haven't been to Biltmore in Ashville, NC it's a must see and the perfect setting for this story. A must read for the family!

I loved this book! I listened to it on Audible.com and it was hard to walk away from. I will be sharing this book with my class this year!

As a 45 year old adult I really enjoyed this book. I live in Asheville, NC home to the setting of this book the Biltmore Estate. As the main character spoke of the rooms in the mansion I could envision each one. I normally do not read "magical" books such as Harry Potter but this one kept my curiosity and I had to keep reading to find out who the man in the black cloak was! Great book! For middle school age children and up! If you can visit the Biltmore Estate it makes the book even more amazing because you can live it out in your mind. Cant wait for the sequel book!

Amazing! Fantastic Book to read with your older kids! Harry Potter meets Nancy Drew! Love!

Great story, keeps you guessing the whole way through!!

This was a fun and cute little read. It has the charm of Anne and the Green Gables with the spark of Matilda. Plot-wise though this book steps ahead those. There is a lot of magic and mystery. It brings warmth to my heart knowing that there are books like this still coming out. It made me feel nostalgic. I did find it a tad predictable but I think that's because I'm seeing this through an adult's eyes when this is a children's book. A great family read and something kids will definitely enjoy. Full review: http://www.bookrambles.com/2015/06/serafina-and-black-cloak-by-robert.html

I rated it a 5 star! Wow! Last good kids book I've read was Harry Potter. This had all of the mystery and magic in it that Harry Potter did. I was super impressed. I got to learn the beauty and history of Biltmore Estate, which only added the place on my list of places to visit. I've also noticed that there was a very important message to kids in this book... It doesn't matter what you look like, or where you come from, May that be a different world, but there's beauty in everyone and everything. There was a part where it described how bad Serafina wanted to be like normal girls and normal she is not, but it made me tear up, because she wanted it that bad. Never knowing until the end how amazing she really is! The mystery had me at the edge of my seat. The twist and turns in the story was incredible and when I found out who it was at the end... I knew he would be a Thorn in my side. (Only people who read the book will know what that means!) I can't wait to have my daughter read this. I know for a fact she's gonna be able to relate to Serafina and love the story just as much as I did... And I'm almost 30!!!!

She’s a C.R.C. and she’s very proud of it. While the rest of the house is asleep, she creeps quietly among the halls listening and watching, for she’s waiting for the exact moment to pounce. Firming holding onto their backs, avoiding their sharp teeth and whipping tails, she waits patiently for them to calm down, so she can finish her job. Serafina is Biltmore’s Chief Rat Catcher, where she lives with her father in the basement, the two of them hiding among the pipes, hidden to others. She’s been told to stay invisible to the family and guests of the estate yet the huge manor is so tempting to this young child that she soon finds a friend in Braeden. He soon becomes her confidant when young children start to disappear in the manor and Serafina feels she knows something about the case. I really enjoyed this story, as it has a wonderful storyline with great adventures and fantastic characters. I loved the relationships in the book, Serafina and her father and Serafina and Braeden. The honesty and respect they have for each other shows in their actions and in their words. As the book progressed, I couldn’t get enough of Serafina’s journey, it became one of my hairdryer novels. Towards the end, I found myself yelling at Serafina, her actions frustrating yet compelling for a young girl like her, someone who is young and curious. I love it when a novel affects me this way. I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Disney Book Group in exchange for an honest review.

I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised Serafina and the Black Cloak. Not often does a book manage to keep me on my toes and wondering exactly what is going on, but this one pulled it off. I did have my suspicions, but I was never 100% sure of anything until I reached the point wither Robert Beatty wanted me, the reader, to know the answer. I am pleased to report that not all of my suspicions were correct either. It was very refreshing to discover a book where I wasn't able to guess all of the answers. This book is about a girl named Serafina who lives with her father in the basement of the Biltmore Estate in the year 1899. Serafina is not an ordinary girl. She doesn't look like most other people. Her hair is multiple colors, she has only 4 toes on each foot, and shes very thing. She also has exceptional hearing and great sight in the dark. However, probably the most interesting thing about her is her bone structure. It is not the same as others. She is missing some of her bones and others are not connected in the regular way. This makes her very nimble allowing her to fit into very small confined spaces with ease. One night while out catching rats in the mansion to dispose of them, she sees a girl in a yellow dress running away from someone - a man in a black cloak. She follows them, determined to save the girl, but ends up seeing more than she bargained for. She watches the man in the black cloak grab the girl in the yellow dress and the girl vanish! The rest of the story follows Serafina as she tries to discover the mystery behind the man in the black cloak. Who is he? Where does he come from? Why does he seem to only take children? Who is next? Overall, I thought that the storytelling skills of Robert Beatty were topnotch. There was one point I felt the story was a bit rough, but it smoothed back out. Robert Beatty's attention to detail was also very good. I had absolutely no issue visualizing the characters or the scenery. It was very well done. I would say that over all I give this book 4.5 stars out of 5. It is a great mystery that will keep you on your toes the whole way through. Also, I just want to note that I absolutely love cover and think it is beautifully done. You can find more of my reviews here: http://readingwithcupcakes.blogspot.com/ This review is based off of an advanced reading copy provided by the publisher, Disney Hyperion, via Netgalley.