For young ‘Serafina’ fans, a chance to meet the author

Robert Beatty, author of the children’s novel “Serafina and the Black Cloak” that took local school book fairs by storm this year, will meet young Charlotte-area fans Wednesday at a celebration launching his newest book.

Beatty will promote “Serafina and the Twisted Staff” (Disney-Hyperion), the second in his three-part Serafina series, at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Barnes & Noble in the Arboretum shopping center.

He’ll be back in the area at 6 p.m. July 20 for another event, at the Barnes & Noble at Birkdale Village in Huntersville.

The Serafina books, mystery-thrillers aimed at children ages 8 and up, are of special appeal to Carolinas youngsters because they’re set in the Biltmore Estate in Asheville (where Beatty lives).

The books center on an unusual young girl who grows up hidden away in the basement of the estate in 1899. “Serafina and the Black Cloak” made the New York Times bestseller list for children’s middle-grade books.

Young readers who show up to see Beatty on Wednesday will also meet his two daughters who inspired him to write the books (and acted in the online preview videos) and see costumed characters of Serafina and Lady Rowena.

This story was originally published July 12, 2016 at 5:34 PM with the headline "For young ‘Serafina’ fans, a chance to meet the author."