For my book, I read Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty. I would describe this as a fantasy book with the aspect of mystery. Serafina and the Black Cloak is a coming-of-age novel that highlights the importance of finding your true identity. Serifina is a 12-year-old girl who lives in the basement of a very well-off family’s mansion. She is told never to leave the basement. One night she sees a man in a black cloak dragging a little girl, and she all of a sudden disappears into the cloak. She is determined to find who this man is and save any other possible victims of the cloak. She meets with one of the kids who lives in the mansion, and they work together to find who is behind these kidnappings. Through her journey, Serifina discovers her newfound sense of identity and courage. This was a cute book, with several likable characters. I enjoyed the unfolding of the mystery. This book would be great for a younger audience since it feels targeted toward children. With that said, the book continued on for a little too long. If the book was 50 pages shorter, it would have been more enjoyable, since I started to lose interest towards the end. The author made it clear that he was not fond of the “villain” in the book, but I think that he should have been a bigger character with more character development. This book suggests that black magic exists through soul-sucking and shape-shifting. While this is a fun concept, I personally do not agree with this suggestion. The black magic in this book is similar to the magic in Harry Potter. Both of these books are fictional, so I am in support of the magic portrayed. This book addresses the larger concept of finding identity, which has made me realize how important it is to understand your true self. Serifina demonstrates the significance of discovering bravery and independence. All in all, this book was enjoyable and introduced many fun ideas to me. This book combined several creative ideas to create one collective story.
Mika S.
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