Serafina and the Black Cloak - by Robert Beatty

Serafina is Chief Rat Catcher at the historic Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, home to one of the richest men in America.  The year is 1899, and strange happenings are afoot at the mansion. Not just strange - terrible!  Children are disappearing, one each night.  A mysterious and dangerous strangers is stalking the halls of the mansion in the dead of night, and the only thing that can stop him is... a scrawny, dirty 12-year-old girl?

This is an excellent piece of historical fiction, set in the author's own backyard and introducing the reader to a fascinating piece of American real estate and point in time.  This book combines true-to-life descriptions of the setting with local legends, and tosses a scary fantasy/mystery over the top to keep us on the edges of our seats.  It works.

Thank you to my young friend Lilia for introducing me to this book, and loaning me your copy.  This is a real girl-power story, and you will be amazed by Serafina's courage, as well as her secrets, which even she doesn't know about at first.  It's a bit scary at times, but scrape up a bit of courage yourself, and check it out.