Serafina and the Black Cloak

Serafina and the Black Cloak is a middle-grade mystery/fantasy by Robert Beatty. First published in 2015, the novel is set in 1899 at the historic Biltmore Estate near Asheville, North Carolina. The story features 12-year-old Serafina, a girl of mysterious origins and many unusual skills who lives secretly in the mansion’s basement. When some of the Biltmore guests’ children go missing, Serafina discovers that an evil intruder—the Man in the Black Cloak—is responsible. Serafina sets out to learn the man’s identity and defeat him, discovering herself in the process. The book was a #1 New York Times Best Seller and spent 60 weeks on the list. This guide follows the 2015 Disney Hyperion edition.

Plot Summary

Twelve-year-old Serafina lives with her father in the basement of the famed Biltmore Estate near Asheville, North Carolina in 1899. They sleep on homemade cots behind the boiler; Serafina dresses in Pa’s old work shirts; she neither attends school nor has any friends. Serafina loves her job as the estate’s Chief Rat Catcher, hunting and catching rats barehanded. She also sees in the dark, fits into tight spots, is agile, and prowls Biltmore at night. Lately, Serafina wishes for a friend her own age. Pa, a mechanical repairman for the estate, says she is never allowed upstairs near the wealthy guests. The forest surrounding Biltmore is forbidden as well because dangerous and unexplainable things occur there.

One night, Serafina discovers an intruder in the basement. He wears fine shoes and a long black cloak. The man drags along a young girl in a yellow dress. Serafina follows them to the subbasement, wondering how she can save the girl. Suddenly the man envelopes the girl in his cloak, and she disappears. Stunned, Serafina cannot move. The man sees Serafina and attempts to wrap her in the cloak, but Serafina fights, hissing and clawing at him, then runs. She hides overnight and tries to explain what she saw to Pa in the morning, but he does not believe her. Angry, Serafina defies Pa and goes upstairs, where search parties are about to hunt for the missing girl. Serafina meets Braeden, nephew of the Vanderbilts, the wealthy couple who own the mansion. After warning Pa that search parties are coming, Serafina demands to know why she must be kept secret. Pa then reveals that he is not her real father: He found her in the forest right after she was born, abandoned and close to dead. He raised her as his own and does not want authorities to take her. He does not know what happened to her mother.

Amazed by the truth of her background, Serafina hides in rooms as guests search for the missing girl; she hears them mention an abandoned cemetery nearby. She looks for Braeden, but Mr. Crankshod, a driver, catches her. Braeden saves her by claiming she is a shoeshine girl who must accompany him on a carriage trip to Asheville, where his aunt is sending him for safety. In the carriage, they talk about another girl recently gone missing. The carriage stops due to a tree blocking the road, and another tree falls right behind the carriage, trapping them. The Man in the Black Cloak suddenly attacks and tries to take Braeden. A young driver, Nolan, sacrifices himself instead. Serafina and Braeden fight off the Man, and he disappears. Mr. Crankshod disappears as well, leaving Braeden and Serafina to weather the night in the carriage. In the morning, Serafina hides in the trees as Mr. Vanderbilt and guests, including the multi-talented Mr. Thorne, arrive to save Braeden. Serafina begins walking. She encounters the old cemetery and a den of mountain lion cubs. She flees when the mother mountain lion attacks. Pa finds her close to the estate and leads her home. She sneaks to Braeden’s room overnight to tell him of her adventures. In the night, the Man in the Black Cloak tries to take Braeden again, but he cannot get in because Serafina locks the door.

Serafina uses the ventilation passageways to gather clues and deduce that the Man in the Black Cloak must be Mr. Thorne; he steals the souls of his victims with the Cloak so that he can absorb and utilize their talents. Braeden does not believe this is true, so Serafina must bait, trap, and defeat Mr. Thorne on her own. She does this by leading him to the mountain lion den. She hides in the den, knowing the mother mountain lion will race home and attack out of instinct. The lioness attacks and gravely wounds Mr. Thorne, then turns to attack Serafina. Curiously, though, this time the lioness only sniffs and nuzzles her.

Confused, Serafina leaves the den. She decides to try on the Cloak. She loves the sense of power she feels, but then she has a terrible vision, seeing all the agonized, trapped souls inside the Cloak. She destroys the Cloak, setting free all whom the Cloak consumed. One woman she rescues is Leandra, whom Serafina discovers is the human half of her mother, a “changer”—a woman who can turn herself into a mountain lion at will—and the other half of her mother is the mountain lion who recognized her. Twelve years before, the Man in the Black Cloak took Leandra’s human soul, but the lioness part of her escaped and gave birth to Serafina. Leandra is thrilled to find Serafina alive and the two enjoy reuniting. Serafina leads the rescued victims to Biltmore, promising to visit Leandra in the forest. Pa is proud of Serafina, and Braeden is thrilled to see her. Mrs. Vanderbilt welcomes Serafina and Pa to continue living at Biltmore and promises new, soft pillows and mattresses in thanks for Serafina’s guardianship and courageous help.