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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.

Robert the Doll is fascinating in his own right, and reading a story featuring him and his curse was both thrilling and (at times) terrifying.

The scare factor was my favourite part of this book and I encourage readers of goosebumps to give it ago.

Al may be fictional, but Robert the Doll is very real which makes this book a fair warning for those thinking about visiting him.

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 an interesting read. An unusual concept. I would think for your first step into horror as a teenage it's fine. For the horror reader it's a little tame
Good story line and use of vocabulary.
An easy read .

I received an eARC from NetGalley. Al goes to the Key West, Florida museum on a class trip and comes face-to-face with Robert the Doll. To prove he doesn’t believe in the curse, Al takes a picture of Robert without asking his permission, and strange things follow...

This is a middle-grade ghost book so I was not expecting to be freaked out. While I wasn’t terrified reading this, it still gave me some chills! Haunted dolls... just... no. I love the way the story includes pictures which added to the creepy-factor. The book was very short but it fit the narrative well; the story began immediately and by the end you weren’t left frustrated with the main character. I would recommend this is you want a quick, slightly unsettling read. Also side note: even if you don’t believe in the curse, why risk it?? Just ask permission!

“It’s just a doll in a sailor suit. What’s the worst that can happen?”

“Robert thinks it’s rude to take his picture without asking. We’ve heard about the things that have happened to people who don’t follow the rule, and... they’re not good.”

“Al heard the sound of a car approaching on the street. As the headlights passed their house, a shadow outside was revealed near the front window. It looked like a skinny, childlike figure, watching him from about ten feet away.”

"It’s all happening because of what you did...Do you believe it now?”

Although this is a middle-grade novel which I am slowly detaching from due to a constant change in my reading preference over the years, I was- surprisingly- able to fully immerse myself into this book and to take pleasure from the experience because of the atmosphere and the horror aspects that are enmeshed in the novel. In addition, I enjoyed the pacing and the style of writing entangled in this novel. Without those aspects, I would probably dislike the novel and I did not particularly like certain segments of the novel but we will converse on that later on.

“Robert thinks it’s rude to take his picture without asking. We’ve heard about the things that have happened to people who don’t follow the rule, and . . . they’re not good.” 

In this 136 pages novel, the pacing was adroitly composed. In the first chapter, we learn about a school trip to a museum that holds a doll that has a spirit imbued into it. Our main character named Alejandro Padilla travels with the school to the museum to visit this enigmatic doll. He snubs the rules and regulations surrounding the doll and snaps a picture of it, supplementing with insults to fuel the spirit's seething disturbances. Therein, eerie instances start to occur. The story itself made me flip page after page until I reach the end because of how compelling the writing style was. OH! I almost forgot, there are gorgeous illustrations which expedite the pacing of the novel and keep readers invested in the story. 

"His breath rushed out of him like a balloon releasing all of its air in one sputtering gust."

The atmosphere that enwreathes around this novel is thick and slick with suspense because with each sequence accentuating the scope of reality that the background story of the doll is real, the protagonist becomes more frantic and the readers of the novel continue to be encapsulated by the character's distress and troubles. I definitely felt the atmosphere when I read the book because of, again, the writing style and the character's decisions and to add on further is his intuition. Everything just coils around the theoretical box of the story conscientiously.

"Al managed a fake laugh that felt foreign coming out of his mouth. Nothing that had happened to him in the past day was funny, but he wanted to make it seem like nothing was bothering him."

The style of writing for this novel which I had been gushing about for the prior three sentences finally make an appearance in this review. I enjoyed the panorama view on how Alejandro Padilla- the main character was handling the issue at hand since he does not believe in anything paranormal and uncanny that will provoke goosebumps to roam around the surface of your epidermis. For example, the quote above suggests that he is slowly sinking into madness due to the recent activities. The author provides us with a writing style that could easily be embedded in our brain and I relished on the way he hones the power to craft such intricate details of the novel.

"And end up on the “wall of shame” with all of the other dummies who believe in this supernatural garbage? Al thought. No way!"

However, several aspects of the novel that I did not savour were some of the horror scenes. Some of the scenes or rather, commotions were mildly run through without the character lingering in the situation to show his inner turmoil. Moreover, there were various horrifying scenes which I felt that they were a little too relaxed for the character. For example, a hand pops out from his locker and he, definitely, is shocked for a moment but the moment is quickly replaced by interruptions from his friends or acquaintances or family and nothing happens after those sequences. I was disheartened as I thought the petrifying uproars will last longer but it did not. 

"But when you see him in real life, you’ll see what all the fuss is about."

Moreover, I thought the characters and family aspects of the story could be ameliorated as I came out of the story kenning the plot but not the characters and the protagonist's family background. For example, the main character's mother is not present in the story and I would love to know more about their family history and how it was waxed to be in this way. To be honest, I was waiting for the mother's appearance but her presence was not adjacent in this novel. In addition, I cannot grasp the characters' personalities as they were all very generic in my eyes and without their personalities, I cannot understand why they implemented various actions sometimes. 

In conclusion, I am furnishing this novel with a grading of C (60%). I did actually enjoy myself while reading this book but it could not appoint it with a higher rating due to the segments that I did not expressly fancy. Thus, the rating.

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! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️