Eight years have passed since Serafina and the Black Cloak arrived on the bookshelves. The engaging plot centers around a young girl living in the basement of the Biltmore Mansion in Asheville, N C. The wealthy Vanderbilt’s who live there don’t even know she exists.

When children start disappearing, it’s up to Sarafina and her only friend, Braeden, to find out the true identity of the man in the black cloak. They hope to stop him from doing any more kidnapping of innocent kids.

The tale was a hit with the older MG crowd and three more books were written. With the popularity of graphic novels it’s not surprising to find the story recreated in this new format.

The art work is vivid and spot on as it depicts both day and nighttime scenes. The emotions of the characters can be seen on each page.

There seems to be more text than usual for a graphic novel, but you can still enjoy the accompanying colorful panels. If you’ve read the original novel or not, Serafina and the Black Cloak is an alluring addition to the series.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert Beatty is the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling Serafina Series published by Disney-Hyperion, a spooky mystery-thriller about a brave and unusual girl who lives secretly in the basement of the grand Biltmore Estate, surrounded by the opulence of the Gilded Age and the rugged beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. He won the Southern Book Prize in 2016. He is also the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling Willa of the Wood Series, the story of a young forest girl with ancient magical powers who struggles for survival and understanding in the Great Smoky Mountains. Loved by both young readers and adults alike, the Serafina and Willa books are being taught in over a thousand classrooms nationwide, and have been translated into over 22 languages. (For more details visit Robert’s author website)

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Join us next week for another Marvelous Middle Grade Monday! It’s here I share highlights from other individuals blogging about middle grade books. Many of the posts will have reviews, interviews, and tips on writing. Take a look at PAST MMGM POSTS.

It’s easy to join the lineup. All you have to do is email me the title of the book or feature and a link to your blog at gpcolo[at]gmail[dot]com

Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so it gets sorted accurately–and don’t forget to say what you’re featuring) You MUST email me your link by Sunday evening (11 PM Eastern Time) in order to be included in the list of links for the coming Monday.

*Please note: these posts are not a reflection of my own opinions on the books featured. Each blogger is responsible for their own MMGM content and I do not pre-screen reviews ahead of time, nor do I control what books they choose. I simply assemble the list based on the links that are emailed to me.