Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll

This book was so much fun! It was just the right amount of creepy for me (and for young readers). I love the idea of this series and I really want to check out the rest of them. I loved the characters and the story!

This was a decent horror and would be great for all ages. It features a creepy doll and is based on a true story. Kids could even learn some moral values from it. It’s a great story for anyone who wants to read a classic ghost story.

Reading the story of Robert the doll reminded me of what I had heard about the doll before. I didn’t get as much detail though. While this story is partially fiction, it is also partially nonfiction. I thought that the story did a fair representation of what is known about the doll and his curses if you displeased him. I have not heard of letters being written to him asking for forgiveness for not asking permission if the person wanted to take a picture of him or insulting him. Robert expects good manners plus.

I think that good manners are important to use all the time and suspect the author may be reminding the reader of it. I also suspect not being respectful of others is another lesson. I enjoyed the story’s creepiness but must admit that is one doll I don’t want to meet!

I really enjoyed this take on what happens to Alejandro Padilla on his class trip when he meets Robert the doll and doesn't follow the rules. I have a love of myths and legends and was already familiar with the legend of Robert the doll so when I saw this book I had to read it. The things that happen to Al after his encounter with the haunted doll are terrifying. Will he be able to make thing right with Robert? You're going to have to read it and find out for yourself.

Part of the Haunted in America series, Curse of the Dead-Eyed Dolls visits one of MY favorite haunted stories, Robert the Doll. Middle schooler Al takes a trip to a museum in Key West. Despite warnings, he takes a photo of Robert the Doll, without asking for permission from the doll. Things start to go wrong and Al wonders if he is cursed.

This is a great book for a middle school reader with an interest in horror and history. Robert the Doll is real and I love him. I hope that his story continues to delight weirdo kids like me forever.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to read this book because the title reminded me of a John Bellairs book and then i found out it was based on the Robert doll!

So thanks, Jolly Fish Press, because it was an absolute delight!

Al for some reason taunts a doll in a museum and starts to see spooky things. Nothing too nefarious, thought, because this is a middle grade book.

The atmosphere is wonderfully creepy as Al wonders if he's really being haunted or losing his mind.

I really liked the illustrations. I feel they added a lot to the atmosphere of the story.

This was a great, quick, and entertaining read for fans of haunted dolls or scary stuff in general. The eerie illustrations also really added the extra creepiness to the story. The one flaw I found was the "I don't believe in haunted dolls" trope but I didn't hate it. The story was fast paced and one could finish it up in a day or two. The ending was satisfying and tidy and I really enjoyed the book. Rating: 4 stars
Recommendation: ages 10 and up
FTC DISCLAIMER: I received this book in exchange for an honest review

Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll
(Haunted States of America-Book 5)
by Thomas Kingsley Troupe
Illustrations by Maggie Ivy
due 9-1-2019
Jolly Fish Press
Ages 8-12
#netgalley. #CurseOfTheDeadEyedDoll

I enjoyed this horror story, the fifth book in the Haunted States if America series. In this series each book focuses on the ghost tales, or eerie legends from different state.
The illustrations by Maggie Ivy were fantastic and added much to the creepy element of the story.
Mrs. Crowley plans a trip for her 8th grade history class to a civil war museum, Fort East Martello Museum, in Key West Florida. Featured in the museum is an exhibit of a doll. The class is warned that pictures of Robert, the doll are ok but to ask permission first, and do not act disrespectful towards the doll. Alejandro Padilla ignores the warning, and making a smartass comment, takes a picture.
Soon after, things start happening to him....his gym locker will not open.....he sees faces in odd places.....his meatballs turn to beetles....and on it goes......
How will Al get by?
What will happen to Al?
His fate is once again in his own hands.
Thanks to net gallery and Jolly Fish Press for sending this e-book ARC for review.

The perfect scary story for upper elementary and middle school kids. Who doesn’t get creeped about by creepy dolls? When the doll starts haunting Al because he was rude to Robert, the suspense begins to build. The fact that it’s based off a real doll? Even creepier! Just remember...always ask permission to take pictures.

In this spine tingling *but not too scary for kids* tale, 13 year old Al is having a run of bad luck and suffering some spooky consequences after a school trip to the museum where he disrespected a cursed doll. At first he assumes it's mere coincidence, but as things begin to escalate and his friends start to blame the curse, Al can't help but wonder if Robert the doll is out to get him. Is the fear all in his mind or is the curse for real?
The fact that there really is a Robert doll added to the creepiness of the story and it was a plus for me that there is an underlying theme for kids that it never hurts to be polite.

A great story for older children about the so called cursed doll Robert who is housed at the East Martello museum in Florida. According to the tales Robert was a companion doll to a boy call Robert Eugene Otto who used to blame Robert for anything that went wrong and when he got older he gave him his own room and let him stare out the window. After his death The doll was sold along with Gene Otto's house and the new owners put him in the attic but they said they heard him running around up there so they donated him to the museum and he has been there ever since. According to the locals the doll has caused job losses, divorce, car accidents and broken bones for people who disrespect Robert,

The dead eyed doll is the the second story about the haunted states of America series by Thomas Kinglsey Troupe and is about a boy Alejandro Padilla who goes on a school trip to the museum and doesn't believe in the myth of Robert and asking his permission to take his photo, Alejandro even goes one step further by insulting his looks. What happens next is a series of misfortunes that befall Alejandro. The question is, is it the curse or just coincidence? read the book and make up your own mind.

Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll by Thomas Kingsley Troupe is a middle grade horror read. This book is a part of the Haunted States of America series which is a fictional collection of stories based on real life ghost stories and mysterious hauntings around the United States.

Middle grader Alejandro Padilla isn’t the superstitious type so when his class is set to go on a field trip to a museum in Key West, Florida he isn’t worried about the stories he’s heard. The museum is said to be the home of Robert the Doll, a sailor doll that is supposed to be cursed and if one does not ask for permission to take his photo the curse will move onto that person. Of course Alejandro breaks the rule and soon things begin to happen around him.

I love the way Thomas Kingsley Troupe has taken real stories from around the country and worked them into these books making this series not only entertaining horror but educational too. The horror in the book seemed to be right on point for the grade level, scary story worthy but not too overly done. Even being an older reader myself I’d be interested in reading more to learn about different ghost stories around the U.S.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I am so happy I found this book and I'm even happier that it is part of a series and now I can devour them! This was an easy read and I managed to finish it well within a day. This is such a great book and I love the concept that this series is devoted to real life haunted artifacts and legends around which the author makes a fictional tale of someone coming into contact with the artifact/legend.

Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll is focused on Robert the Doll who currently resides in East Martello Museum, Key West, Florida. This doll in real life was a beloved friend of Robert Eugene Otto who never parted with it even after he was married, insisting the doll had its own room with a view he could look out on. The doll remained with Robert Eugene Otto throughout his life and especially when he was a child 'strange things' happened and they were blamed on the doll. The doll was eventually donated to the museum by the next owner of the house and the museum soon realised that visitors not asking permission before taking his photo became cursed. This story is set when Robert the Doll is residing in the museum and during a high school trip to the museum, one of the students doesn't ask Robert the Doll for permission before taking his picture and insults him. This tale moves at a good pace and increases the scares very well, especially as its punctuated with great illustrations just in case your imagination isn't up to scratch. I also love how hard the main character attempts to remain rational, he almost turned it into an art form. This book is a lesson in always asking permission!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Jolly Fish Press & Flux for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! I've heard of Robert the Doll before, but only minor details as in it's haunted and it's on display in Florida. So I was definitely drawn to this book.
I enjoyed the illustrations throughout the story and I was anxiously reading to find out what was going to happen next.
Great story and I also enjoyed the author's notes at the end. Definitely would love to visit Robert the Doll in person one day and will definitely ask permission before taking a picture.

Thank you so much to North Star Editions/Jolly Fish Press who sent me an ebook through NetGalley to review of The Curse of the Dead Eyed Doll written by Thomas Kingsley Troupe.

This book was really fun to read, it was actually creepy and left you actually wondering what was going to happen next.

Al Padilla goes on a school trip to a museum and the main attraction there is a haunted doll called Robert. Al doesn’t believe at all that the doll is haunted and breaks the one rule that is laid out for them. When bad things start to happen to him everyone says he’s cursed by the doll. Though he doesn’t believe it things still keep happening to mess with him.

I loved the way it was written through a non believers perspective seeing him battling with his doubt but also his fear of what was going on around him. It’s a great and well written horror book, with the right suspense included and a creepy hook to keep you desperately wanting to know more.

The illustrations in this book were beautifully made and really captured Robert the Doll, you could really feel the scary-ness of him from the pictures drawn. I really enjoyed reading this book and think it’s a great starter horror book for children wanting to get into the genre.

Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll by Thomas Kingsley Troupe is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. This is a middle grade book and there really is a doll named Robert that is supposed to be haunted. This of course is fiction and is very good! Robert wants people to ask permission to take his picture but our boy of the story thinks it's hogwash and doesn't! See what happens! Fun story!
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When I see a book about haunted dolls or houses I have to pick it immediately. In Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll, Robert the doll is an actual real doll that resides behind glass at the East Martello Museum that was once owned by Key West, Florida painter, and author Robert Eugene Otto. The legend says that you have to ask permission of the doll before taking his picture, which is exactly what the main character of the book, Alejandro Padilla doesn't do. This leads to sinister consequences for the boy who now have to find a way to stop the doll from tormenting him.
Initially, when I decided to start reading this book I didn't realize that this is middle-grade fiction, I thought it was an adult horror book - my bad entirely. I decided to continue reading anyway and I was pleasantly surprised with the story and the creepiness of it. It's not exactly a horror book, but I wish there were more books like this one when I was little. I especially enjoyed the fact that the book is based on a true story and that gave it an extra eery feel.
I think the book will be very interesting for kids that enjoy creepy tales and adults that are still children at heart.

*The book was provided to me from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.*

The Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll is the fifth book in the Haunted States of America series. Every state has its own famous ghost tales and legends. Each book in the series focuses on a different state. So far, tales have been told from Tennessee, Minnesota, Texas, and Colorado. This newest book in the series adds a famous tale of a allegedly cursed child's toy in Florida.

The basics: Al Padilla takes a school field trip to the East Martello Museum in Key West. All of the students are excited about seeing the museum's most popular exhibit: a doll that is reportedly cursed. Robert the Doll has a strange backstory, and was donated to the museum decades earlier. Supposedly, if the doll is disrespected or has his photo taken without first being asked for permission, bad things happen. The museum displays a collection of letters sent to Robert apologizing for bad behavior and asking for him to remove the curse placed on them for slights or disrespect. Al doesn't believe in curses or haunted dolls. So, he snaps Robert's picture without asking permission. When everything starts to go wrong after the field trip, Al starts to wonder if maybe he is cursed.

This spooky tale is geared to middle grade readers. It's a bit creepy, but not overly so. There is a bit of supernatural stalking by an angry doll....but nothing that would be too freaky for elementary age kids. I enjoyed the story. I'm always up for a good creepy story, even one written for kids. I like the fact that the story is based on an actual real doll with a real creepy legend behind it. Robert exists. His real story is told in this book. I want to read the rest of the books in this series now! I will have to request my local library purchase them, as I believe local kids would love to read this series as well!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Flux (North Star Editions) via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I like to read books about dolls, so I requested an advance reader copy of Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll from Netgalley.

This is a nice, not-too-scary story for the right young reader. It is based on a real doll in a real museum. The main character, Alejandro Padilla, is Hispanic and lives with his dad and brother in Key West, Florida. There are believable interactions with other children and adults, and the accompanying illustrations enhance the story. Is Al truly haunted by the doll he insulted, or is it all in his imagination? You will have to decide.

You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com

This book is slated for a 1st of September 2019 release!

Alejandro is stoked because today, his class is taking a field trip. Who doesn't love field trips! It doesn't even matter where they're going because it means that for a good chunk of the school day, he is not at school. As it so happens, Al and his class are headed for a civil war museum in Key West, Florida. The main attraction of the museum is a century old doll who goes by the name of Robert, the doll is said to be haunted and to really disdain being disrespected. One rule is that you must ask Robert's permission before taking a photo of him. Al, not believing anything that he's hearing, does not ask permission and on top of that, he insults the doll at the same time. It is said that those who do not follow Robert's rules, end up cursed. Al, not believing in the stories one bit, shrugs off the bad luck that comes his way following the field trip, but as the occurrences become more frequent and more sinister in nature, he's forced to evaluate what he really thinks.

I found this to be an absolute joy to read. This is the second book that I've read by Troupe, the first being Trapped in Room 217, which I also thoroughly enjoyed. The first time I requested a book by Troupe, I had absolutely NO IDEA that his target audience is middle grade, so I was a bit taken back the first time. This time, I knew EXACTLY what I was in for and I feel like I enjoyed the story a hell of a lot more.

I absolutely loved that this was based on a real doll and it's history, I feel like this really added a level of authenticity to the story that otherwise would not have occurred. Having also known about the real story just added a little bit of something more to my experience which was great. If you didn't know about the doll before reading this, I'm certain that it will spark your need to research it.

The character of Alejandro was well written and I feel that Troupe really captured the mannerisms and thought patterns that a 13 year old boy would have when presented with a situation like this. I love that you can so easily see the correlation between what Alejandro is trying so hard to not believe in, and the fact that his FATHER has said that it's all nonsense. It really brings home the whole 'monkey see - monkey do' mentality of children who are still at an impressionable time in their lives. Something as simple as his dad not believing in ghosts and such, mean that Alejandro decides he doesn't either. I also love that it included how much Al cared about the perception of him through his father and brother's eyes. Some people may read this and see a simple, fun ghost story for kids, but I feel like it touches on a little bit more than that. It shows us how impressionable the children in our lives can be. If they're so hell bent on being perceived a certain way by their parents, seeking approval if you will, there's no telling how far they'll go to get that. In this situation it was relatively harmless, but in others, that may not be the case.

The story was incredibly fast paced, and kept this pace up fro the entire duration. I could really FEEL how exhausted Al was as the story progressed, which to me deserves applause on behalf of Troupe's ability at his craft. The longer the story progressed and the more that Al continued to lie to himself, I could just feel myself sinking further and further down with him. The instances that occurred to Al after the visit to the museum definitely had some creep quality to them. I can remember being younger and having similar instances in the middle of the night in my room, so I could definitely sympathise with poor Al.

The writing was well thought out and I feel that it suits the demographic Troupe is aiming for perfectly. It wasn't "dumbed down" at all for the younger reading group, and it was written in a way that me as an adult could still thoroughly enjoy.

Thomas Kingsley Troupe’s The Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll is scheduled to be released just in time for my favorite season: FALL!! Troupe’s book is a fictional encounter with one of the creepier things that exist in the world. Have you ever heard of Robert the Doll? He currently lives in a museum in Florida, but legend has it, he haunted the life of his former owner for years…well into the boy’s adulthood, marriage and eventual death.

ROBERT THE DOLL
Robert the Doll belonged to Robert Eugene Otto who lived in Key West, Florida. The doll was a gift to Robert from his grandfather for his birthday. As legend has it, the Robert used to blame any childhood mishap on the doll and soon the doll developed his own awareness to the world around him and later would move things around the room and disappear and reappear in different areas of the house. In his later years, Robert would the doll his own room where he would live until Robert and his wife later died. The new owner of their home described many supernatural occurrences involving the doll which would later be blamed for a variety of misfortunes including broken bones, car accidents and divorces. Today, Robert the Doll has a new home in a museum where visitors can see him first hand, but must heed his warnings of asking permission before taking his picture and must mind their manners, if not, Robert will take his revenge on you.

THE CURSE OF THE DEAD-EYED DOLL
Troupe’s novel is a short read, about 47 pages. It tells the story of Al, a young boy who takes part in a field trip to the museum to meet Robert the Doll. He and his friend, Selma are skeptical about Robert the Doll, but Selma also is fearful of the doll because as she says, but what if it IS real? She leaves Al alone with the doll and Al takes it upon himself to take a picture of Robert without his permission, completely disregarding the warning signs and the letters from people who have done the exact same thing to Robert in the past and have later had to apologize for their behavior. Al will later come to regret his decision as strange things start happening to Al and to those around him. Al must figure out how to accept that there are certain things in life that are just unexplainable and need to be respected…Robert the Doll is one of them.

THE HAUNTED STATES OF AMERICA SERIES
The Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll by Thomas Kingsley Troupe is the latest middle grades horror story in the Haunted States of America Series. This book series showcases a haunted tale from one of the 50 states with easy language and mild illustrations that help bring the creepy story to life. As a kid who grew up on RL Stine, I would definitely invest in this series for my son when he is older and looking for a creepy bedtime story. As a teacher, I would pick these up for early middle-grade readers who need a high-interest story to keep them motivated. Other books in Troupe’s Haunted States of America Series include Beware the Bell Witch, Ghostly Reunion, Spirits of the Storm and Trapped in Room 217.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Thomas Kingsley Troupe is a native of Minnesota. He has written numerous fiction and non-fiction books with many being geared more towards kids. His series include the Haunted in America Series as well as Hauntiques and Furry & Flo. When he is not writing, he enjoys ghost hunts and campy movies.

BOOK INFORMATION
Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll (Haunted States of America) by Thomas Kingsley Troupe will be released on September 1, 2019 from Jolly Fish Press with ISBN 9781631633485. This review corresponds to an advanced electronic galley that was supplied by the publisher in exchange for this review.

Review to come in August.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I am always looking for new books about creepy things, ghosts, hauntings, that kind of stuff. I love those stories, and so I was excited about this one. I am a bit confused with the age of the MC, he is 13, however with the writing style and how the character acted he felt much younger than that. There were a few mentions that made him rise back to 13, but generally I wouldn't give him more than 10 maybe 11 years. This is also the reason why I am tagging this one as a children's books. Normally I go by the age of the characters (0-12 = children's 13-18/19 = YA), but in rare cases like this book, or Thea Stilton (with the MCs in college), I go by writing style and how the book is presented/looks.

This book features a very creepy doll, named Robert. You don't want to mess with Robert. Our MC meets Robert when he has a field trip to the museum that features Robert. Like most teen boys he doesn't give a hoot about any warnings or sad sob stories, so he makes a picture of Robert and him without permission. And from that moment things seem to go wrong.

I wasn't a big fan of our MC. He was your typical boy it seemed, and I was just slightly annoyed with him that he would dismiss things that easily (especially given all the signs and the way the room felt (oppressive and horrible)) and also would tease his best friend. Who, just like me, has a very big NOPE to dolls. I don't cry when I see them, but if I can avoid them then I am happy.

The things that happened to Al were pretty tame at first (flat tires, missing reports) but they got increasingly more creepy and dangerous as the book continued. I did like that most of the things that happened were things only Al could see. Which distanced him from friends and classmates. Which made it easier for the doll/the curse to do its thing.

I was glad that he told his dad and brother and I loved their reactions to Al's story. *thumbs up*

The ending was at the first very creepy and OMG, but then it turned the other way. I am happy with how the author ended it. That was the way to end it, though maybe an epilogue would have been nice as well. :)

The book also has illustrations, and I quite liked their style. It didn't always work with my copy on my Kindle (text was in images or the images were only small), but what I could see I liked.

All in all, if you want a creepy book about a creepy doll and a boy who has to learn a lesson, read this one.

I read "Curse of the Dead Eyed Doll" as an ARC on NetGallery. This story is about a class trip to visit a local museum and it's resident doll, Robert. Visitors are told bad things happen if you take a picture of Robert without asking permission first. Alejandro does not believe in the the stories about Robert and snaps a picture. Readers' will be left wondering if all of Al's bad luck is coincidence or the the result of the curse. Did Al make Robert the doll angry for taking his picture without permission? What will happen to Al? This book is a page turner. Great book for reluctant readers that love creepy, haunted tales. This book will appeal to middle school readers of R.L.Stine's Goosebumps.

A great, spooky middle grade read. If you don't like creepy old dolls, even better. The curse that Al gets from the doll that he offended is enough to make anyone believe in Robert the Doll.
Great for those that are fans of Goosebumps.

This is the sixth book by Troupe that I have read and Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll didn't disappoint. Fans of ghost stories, hauntings, the paranormal, and the weird will already know the story of Robert, but Troupe's story is a great introduction for those who don't know of the doll. The story follows Al on a school field trip who does not follow the rules and gets haunted by Robert until he joins the many visitors who return to apologize.

Alejandro Padilla isn't superstitious and he doesn't believe the stories that an old sailor doll in a Key West, Florida, museum is haunted. Robert the Doll might look creepy, but that doesn't mean...
Well this book creeped me out and I couldn't even sit with the lights off.
The writing had me getting chills and I couldn't put it down. This was the kind of book that will creep me out and I love it for it.

4.5 Stars
Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll is a YA story with middle school'ers being the target audience. I am many, many moons from school age, middle or otherwise. But I enjoy YA titles. I like being in 'the know' about what my granddaughter will be reading. Although an advanced reader, she is a couple of years from middle school. She really loves spooky, creepy stories, so we read this together. She loved it!

The story centers around a doll named Robert currently on display in a Key West, Florida museum. Before entering Robert's room visitors are instructed to be respectful at all times and if they want a photo, to ask Robert's consent first. All the students comply, except one. (There is always one.) Al doesn't believe in such mumbo-jumbo. So acting the part of class smarty-pants, he insults Robert the doll and snaps a picture without permission.

Soon after strange things start happening. He chalks his sudden case of bad luck up to coincidence. There's no such thing as haunted dolls. As the reader sees Al spiraling into a frenzied state of near insanity his denial of the supernatural ring more and more hollow. Is Al being haunted by Robert or is he driving himself mad?

I am flipping the pages like 'mad'. . . Curious to know what happens next. The author's vocabulary, overall pacing, and characters were well thought out. I kept wondering about Al's Mother. I would've liked an explanation of her absence. My granddaughter asked about her too. She thought if his Mom had been there, he could've confided in her. We both wished the story had been a little longer. Maybe then some of the important sections would have felt more realistic, vs. stated and rushed past. All said this is an excellent, very creepy, rapid read that saves the real chiller to last. Standing your hair on end with five little words -- "Based on a true story." Don't miss this one. (You wouldn't want to insult Robert. LOL)

If I had been able to go there, I'd certainly go to that museum in Key West! This book threw me back towards the years I was at middle school-age and loved horror stories - I would have loved it back then as I loved it this afternoon. It is creepy without blood and gore, but with all the suspence needed to keep me reading. Needless to say I finished 'Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll' in one sit. Not that it was hard to do, since it is a short book, but still. It got me reading and not wanting to stop reading.

A creepy, atmospheric and engaging read. It's a good book that will keep you hooked till the last page.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

If you know the story of Robert the Doll this is a must read! If you are not familiar with the story of Robert then you have to grab this book! While this is written for YA, it was a fun and interesting read! I have loved the story of Robert, and the many claims that go along with him. One young man is about to find out what happens when you cross Robert!

If your kids (or you) love a spooky read, then this is one that you cannot afford to miss out on! Perfect for a weekend read, or just a great fall afternoon outdoors. Add this to your TBR list today!

I recived this book as an ARC- and I'm glad I got the chance to read it. It's a middle-grade type of book. Very remiscent of the Goosebumps era. The author did the proper research before diving into the background of Robert the Doll. and I'm thankful for that. The dialouge is pretty standard for this type of book, esepcially when taking in to account the target audience this is written for. The descriptions are pretty standard until you get to the doll- and the doll's descriptions surpasses that of any of the characters. There is a slight underlying tone of mass hysteria where the protagonist's classmates and friends blame him and the curse he seems to be under.
Probably my favorite part-- the way the main character begins to slowly lose his mind in an extremely paranoid manner. Seeing things that aren't there multiple times in the story. The end of the story leaves you wondering just HOW much of the curse was really in his mind.

I received a copy of Curse of the Dead Eyed Doll through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I really love how the boy who is cynical about a haunted doll is the one who winds up being tormented and haunted by it. Stepping into his concerns as a school aged child some of the terrors revolve around his life as a student. Despite being an adult who has been away from school for awhile now, these terrors were portrayed in a way that still creeped me out.

But then on a very personal level I have learned that stories about haunted dolls have the power to invoke quite a scare in me. Some dolls just look so life like that there has to be something supernatural going on with them. Yet one of the things that I find brilliant about this particular story is that the main character is cynical about the possibility that a doll that he found in a museum could possibly be haunted. And having a child who is old enough to articulate this doubt makes not only the articulation of the doubt be stated in a simple way, but also there is the component of needing to keep the adults out of the loop about what is going on. This element of middle grade and YA literature where something is happening to a child protagonist that can’t be communicated with adults always adds a layer of scare to a story. Remember when you were a child and felt like adults did not understand you? Now imagine you are actually being haunted by something like a doll…and you are old enough to know that an adult will not believe you. That is pretty scary! This is a component that was hinted at in this story but I felt like it was something that it could have been drawn out more. There was one occasion of interaction with an adult but there was another occasion that turned out to be a lost opportunity for me. This is the main reason why I decided to give this book a 4/5 star rating.

Living in the Twin Cities myself, I was excited to discover that this author lives in Minneapolis. I have to bring out a disclaimer that I am always eager to promote local talent. However I would not be wanting to tell you to read this book on this fact alone. I really did find this to be a fun, fast paced read.

A tidbit that may be interesting to some readers is that the writer is basing this on an actual doll named Robert the Doll who is thought to have supernatural powers. I personally fall into the camp about being cynical about what we deem supernatural as truth in the real world. (However a compelling work of fiction is another story…) I feel like a lot of times the possibility of haunted events make for great stories but there is typically either not enough evidence there for me to be convinced that this is truth and/or stories are often sensationalized in how they are told. The elements of truth are often embellished to tell a compelling story. I like how this book enters into this world through the lens of fiction. I honestly would have been lost as a reader without it. However readers who may be more into speculation over supernatural matters will definitely enjoy being engaged over this possibility. I would highly encourage you to enter into this world and make your own decisions….

This was my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last. I think my students will really enjoy reading about Robert and learning that it is based on a true story. I thought about giving the book a 4-star rating, but I didn’t want to offend Robert. Honestly, it is a 6-star read. I wanted to add some humor to my review.) Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader.

Curse of the Dead Eyed Doll is based on an actual legend of a doll from Key West. It's a fast entertaining read that will be wholly engaging for middle grade readers. Scary but not too scary. It will keep their attention in class! Great addition to the classroom library. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I read this little book in less than an hour while soaking in the bot tub last night. It is aimed at middle-grade children. It was pretty good!! It had a great premise, some scares and chills and kept my attention. As a teacher, I also could clearly pick out the moral of the story. Very good book for kids who enjoy the horror genre but aren’t ready for adult books. 4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Robert the Doll is a legend that I grew up knowing from having family in Key West, so when I saw this book, it was a no brained to pick it up. I am very glad I did read this because it was really a journey! First off let me start off by saying that this may be to scary for some kids because it creeped me out the whole time and I can imagine a kid reading this then having nightmares. With that being said, this was highly entertaining and packed a large punch in a short amount of time. There are 2 things that really stop me from giving this a 5 star rating and that is that I think some of the illustrations were unnecessary and were very random. And another thing is that I thought the very end was kind of weak but at the same time it wasn’t horrible. All in all this was such an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading more from this author!

Have you ever had a really, really bad day where everything (I mean EVERYTHING) went wrong? Al is having that probem. Is it just lack of sleep? Is it just the weather? Is it just because "Robert Did It?"
Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll was a quick, easy and enjoyable read centered on the infamous and very real Robert the Doll and a fictional account of a middle-schooler who didn't pay Robert the respect he demands.
#CurseoftheDead-EyedDoll #netgalley

So! NetGalley and Jolly Fish Press were kind enough to let me receive an arc of this book for an honest review, and I was so excited to read about my favorite thing — spooky stuff — I dove right in.

When the book begins, I immediately got the feeling I was reading one of my treasured Goosebumps books, except this time it was about a haunted doll that I knew the history of. Being a past paranormal investigator, and currently constantly researching the paranormal, I was curious how the topic of good ‘ol Robert would be handled.

Quite well, and I was surprised!

The facts were well researched and true, even down to the letters people will send to Robert: deaths, divorces, losing money, home... all of this stuff does truly happen if you do not ask Robert for his permission to take his photo. And when Al didn’t ask, and insulted Robert on top of that? Even *I* wanted to yell at him. I knew it would be bad.

As Al goes through the curse of Robert the Doll, he spends so much time convincing himself all of it is fake; all of that is time wasted considering Al continues to face more and more trouble.

Overall, this was a fantastic elementary to middle grade book for kids who were like me, looking for a fantastic ghost story to follow up on later. Super creepy, and I’d suggest it to the younger ones in my life!

Curse of the Dead-Eyed Doll was a quick, mildly creepy read. The illustrations of the doll, though only in black and white, are pleasingly unsettling. This is a book aimed at middle-graders and kept solidly in that age range in pace of story, vocabulary, and content. I would have no problem letting my 10-year-old read it.


At the age that this book is meant for there is a belief that anything is possible, so the potential to be truly creeped out is a good bit higher than it is for adults.

I was happy to see that the protagonist was Hispanic, because representation is so important. I was equally disappointed to see that other than the name and depiction of darker skin in the illustrations the representation was absent. Still, it's not another Caucasian leading the story, so that's something.


This is my first read from Thomas Kingsley Troupe. I would be happy to read further work from him in the future.

*thank you to Netgalley and Flux Jolly Fish Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

Such a great, spooky and creepy MG read! It reminds me of the Goosebumps series by R.L. Shine that I use to absolutely LOVE when I was a kid. This is my second novel by this author and once again I am impressed. I think it's a wonderful introduction to the real life story of the famous haunted doll, "Robert the Doll." I can see this as making a great series and I would definitely give this a recommendation to everyone who likes the description of the story.

A delightfully entertaining reading experience, THE CURSE OF THE DEAD-EYED DOLL is aimed at middle-grade readers, but I found it quite enjoyable too. Based on an actual doll and actual events, the story focuses on an eighth grade class' trip to a Key West museum, and the odd doll kept there. Superstition floats around Robert the Doll, but 13-year-old Al refuses to believe--until a series of mishaps ranging from aggravating to scary make his life a misery.

I found empathising with the characters very easy, and the plot was tricky and intriguing. The contrast of belief in the superstitions and the skepticism of others was well-delineated and realistically balanced.