Serafina and the Black Cloak Discussion Questions

• Serafina describes herself many times as a “creature of the night.” What does that mean? What are other “creatures of the night” (both natural and supernatural)? What connotations does “creature of the night” have? Does Serafina’s character align with those connotations?
• Why do you think the author chose to set the story in a real historical house? How might that choice have been helpful to him? How might it have been risky?
• What is the climax of the story?
• Serafina gets lost in the graveyard on a night when it is raining. What could be the symbolic significance of that weather event?
• Who in this story made a Faustian bargain?
• Does the Black Clock remind you of objects or situations from other stories?
• How has Serafina changed by the end of the book?
• What do you think might happen in the sequels in this series?
• Revisit the passage about catamounts on pages 188-189. Did that passage strike you as significant when you read it? Now that you have finished reading, why do you think the author had Serafina notice that painting?

Which of these characteristics of gothic literature does this book exhibit?

Which of these characteristics of magical realism does this book exhibit?

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