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Escape from the Past #2
Escape from the Past: The Kid
Time-traveling gamer, Max, embarks on a harrowing journey through the Wild West of 1881! After a huge fight with his parents, Max tries to return to his love and his best friend, Bero, in medieval Germany. Instead he lands in 1881 New Mexico. Struggling to get his bearings and coming to terms with Dr. Stuler s evil computer game misleading him, he runs into Billy the Kid. To his amazement Billy isn t at all the ruthless killer history made him out to be. Trouble brews when a dying Warm Springs Apache gives Max a huge gold nugget to help his sister, Ela, escape from Fort Sumner. Shopping for supplies Max attracts the attention of ruthless bandits. Before Max can ask the Kid s help, he and Ela are forced to embark on a journey to find his imaginary goldmine. This is book 2 in the Escape from the Past trilogy."
304 pages, Paperback
First published February 26, 2016
9 people are currently reading
376 people want to read
About the author
Annette Oppenlander
42 books318 followersAnnette Oppenlander is an award-winning writer, literary coach and educator. As a bestselling historical novelist, Oppenlander is known for her authentic characters and stories based on true events, coming alive in well-researched settings. Having lived in Germany the first half of her life and the second half in various parts in the U.S., Oppenlander inspires readers by illuminating story questions as relevant today as they were in the past. Oppenlander’s bestselling true WWII story, Surviving the Fatherland, was elected to IWIC’s Hall of Fame and won the 2017 National Indie Excellence Award. Her historical time-travel trilogy, Escape from the Past, takes readers to the German Middle Ages and the Wild West. Uniquely, Oppenlander weaves actual historical figures and events into her plots, giving readers a flavor of true history while enjoying a good story. Oppenlander shares her knowledge through writing workshops at colleges, libraries and schools. She also offers vivid presentations and author visits. The mother of fraternal twins and a son, she recently returned to her home, Solingen, Germany where she lives with her husband and old mutt, Mocha.
"Nearly every place holds some kind of secret, something that makes history come alive. When we scrutinize people and places closely, history is no longer a date or number, it turns into a story."
"Nearly every place holds some kind of secret, something that makes history come alive. When we scrutinize people and places closely, history is no longer a date or number, it turns into a story."
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March 4, 2016I received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.
Yes finally I got to read The Kid! After reading The Duke’s Wrath I knew I had to read The Kid and boy am I glad I did. Oh Max is back again and is having a day in his life. He is upset with his dad again and all he wants is to get away. It has been almost a year since Max played the game where he traveled back in time to Germany in 1471 and he never thought he would play again. Going back in time the first and not knowing if he was going to ever find his way out of the game and get back home again was pretty scary for him.
But with everything that is going on his life right now and with all the time that has passed since the last time he played Max has kind of forgotten what it was like to be stuck in the past. Besides all that he misses his old friend Bero and his sister Julianna. Last time Max had a crush on Julianna and she also liked him. Julianna wanted Max to marry her that is what all the young girls did her time. They got married young and had a family. But Max being from a different time wasn’t ready for a family. Oh no he still had his whole life ahead of him for that. First he needed to finish high school and then maybe get a degree first. But he did miss them a lot so he decided that he would take his chance and go visit them again. He thought he had this game all figured out but he sure didn’t have something down pat because he ended up in another time in another country than before.
This time when he played the game and traveled back in time he went back to 1881 in the Wild West days. He saw a family being attacked by the Indians while traveling. He also met Billy the kid who turned out not to be the bad guy that history claimed him to be. Max actually became pretty good friends with him. But he also met another pretty girl who he came to like and care for a lot too. This girl wanted him to marry her as well but Max wasn’t ready for a family. He cared for this girl a lot and did think about staying in the past with her.
Max was also left with not knowing what he was supposed to do in the game or what his missions were. He was almost as confused this time around as the first time he played. He thought he had it all figured out but he soon realized he was mistaken. But he didn’t really know what he wanted if he wanted to stay in the past or go back to the future. Will Max figure out what it is he is supposed to do? Will he ever make it out of the game? Does he really want too? What will he do? What will his family do?
If you like reading historical/time traveling books then you are going to fall in love with the Escape from the Past series. It is and amazing series and I can’t wait to read the next book to see where Max takes us on his next adventure. I can’t wait to see where he goes and who he meets.
Yes finally I got to read The Kid! After reading The Duke’s Wrath I knew I had to read The Kid and boy am I glad I did. Oh Max is back again and is having a day in his life. He is upset with his dad again and all he wants is to get away. It has been almost a year since Max played the game where he traveled back in time to Germany in 1471 and he never thought he would play again. Going back in time the first and not knowing if he was going to ever find his way out of the game and get back home again was pretty scary for him.
But with everything that is going on his life right now and with all the time that has passed since the last time he played Max has kind of forgotten what it was like to be stuck in the past. Besides all that he misses his old friend Bero and his sister Julianna. Last time Max had a crush on Julianna and she also liked him. Julianna wanted Max to marry her that is what all the young girls did her time. They got married young and had a family. But Max being from a different time wasn’t ready for a family. Oh no he still had his whole life ahead of him for that. First he needed to finish high school and then maybe get a degree first. But he did miss them a lot so he decided that he would take his chance and go visit them again. He thought he had this game all figured out but he sure didn’t have something down pat because he ended up in another time in another country than before.
This time when he played the game and traveled back in time he went back to 1881 in the Wild West days. He saw a family being attacked by the Indians while traveling. He also met Billy the kid who turned out not to be the bad guy that history claimed him to be. Max actually became pretty good friends with him. But he also met another pretty girl who he came to like and care for a lot too. This girl wanted him to marry her as well but Max wasn’t ready for a family. He cared for this girl a lot and did think about staying in the past with her.
Max was also left with not knowing what he was supposed to do in the game or what his missions were. He was almost as confused this time around as the first time he played. He thought he had it all figured out but he soon realized he was mistaken. But he didn’t really know what he wanted if he wanted to stay in the past or go back to the future. Will Max figure out what it is he is supposed to do? Will he ever make it out of the game? Does he really want too? What will he do? What will his family do?
If you like reading historical/time traveling books then you are going to fall in love with the Escape from the Past series. It is and amazing series and I can’t wait to read the next book to see where Max takes us on his next adventure. I can’t wait to see where he goes and who he meets.
January 26, 2019
3 1/2 Stars
Okay. In my opinion, this one wasn't as good as the first, but it's still engaging! The descriptions are just as believable as in Escape From the Past, and the characters are just as real. It took me a while to get through this one, but it's still pretty good.
I'm looking forward to reading the third book! It kind of got on my nerves how Max easily fell for Ela. She's cool and everything, and I understand that he didn't think he'd see Juliana again (from the first book), but he doesn't have much of a boundary set when it comes to girls, which annoyed me. He dreams of having sex and making out with them, which, first and foremost, is not very encouraging for kids to read. It’s also a bit much for the author to describe the sex scenes. Max also gets weirded out about a man staring at his mom’s cleavage (which is understandable), but Max himself does that. So I’m not going to defend Max in that concern.
Anyway, the danger is tangible and the story itself is entertaining!
Okay. In my opinion, this one wasn't as good as the first, but it's still engaging! The descriptions are just as believable as in Escape From the Past, and the characters are just as real. It took me a while to get through this one, but it's still pretty good.
I'm looking forward to reading the third book! It kind of got on my nerves how Max easily fell for Ela. She's cool and everything, and I understand that he didn't think he'd see Juliana again (from the first book), but he doesn't have much of a boundary set when it comes to girls, which annoyed me. He dreams of having sex and making out with them, which, first and foremost, is not very encouraging for kids to read. It’s also a bit much for the author to describe the sex scenes. Max also gets weirded out about a man staring at his mom’s cleavage (which is understandable), but Max himself does that. So I’m not going to defend Max in that concern.
Anyway, the danger is tangible and the story itself is entertaining!
June 11, 2019
Review from Long and Short Reviews YA
The Kid by Annette Oppenlander kicks off with the main character from book one of the Escape From the Past series, The Duke’s Wrath. It offers the same quick, conversational style and a return: not to the same place, but a return to the same kind of mission.
Max is in a pickle right in the ordinary realm of contemporary today: and not even a very unusual one. He’s contending with divorced parents and expectations…and remembering (regretfully) his love interest. The difference between here and now and the ‘then’ of the other time is contrasted much more sharply in this book, largely because of the opening.
The pace remains unchanged and I thought The Kid certainly matched the unpredictable quality offered in book one. This one takes Max to the American west, with cowboys, guns and horseback riding. Dangers abound, although these mostly crop up without adding a lot to the story. At times, getting through the side problems felt like a long haul.
However, his unpredictable problems have a way of helping Max with his own: and leading to some touching family moments.
The writing style exhibited and the immediacy of the story really grab the reader. These are exciting to read and one never stops wondering what will happen next. It is well-done and will appeal to fans of time travel and the fantastical in general. Again, there is a fair amount of violent violence and some rather thick-skinned reaction to it, as well as to some types of peoples. Its a very good read, nonetheless.
The Kid by Annette Oppenlander kicks off with the main character from book one of the Escape From the Past series, The Duke’s Wrath. It offers the same quick, conversational style and a return: not to the same place, but a return to the same kind of mission.
Max is in a pickle right in the ordinary realm of contemporary today: and not even a very unusual one. He’s contending with divorced parents and expectations…and remembering (regretfully) his love interest. The difference between here and now and the ‘then’ of the other time is contrasted much more sharply in this book, largely because of the opening.
The pace remains unchanged and I thought The Kid certainly matched the unpredictable quality offered in book one. This one takes Max to the American west, with cowboys, guns and horseback riding. Dangers abound, although these mostly crop up without adding a lot to the story. At times, getting through the side problems felt like a long haul.
However, his unpredictable problems have a way of helping Max with his own: and leading to some touching family moments.
The writing style exhibited and the immediacy of the story really grab the reader. These are exciting to read and one never stops wondering what will happen next. It is well-done and will appeal to fans of time travel and the fantastical in general. Again, there is a fair amount of violent violence and some rather thick-skinned reaction to it, as well as to some types of peoples. Its a very good read, nonetheless.
January 5, 2016
Well, here’s a guy who’s having trouble with his computer - and some! Max is the central character in the second of the exciting “Escape from the Past” series. If you’re a fan of the first in the series (The Duke’s Wrath), you’ll remember that Max got sucked into his computer game and carried back to Germany in 1471 where he had a hell of a time (but at least met a great girl in Juliana) before making it back to the present day. In The Kid, the second in the series, Max tries to get back to meet his friends in Germany. But, whoops, doesn’t quite get it right and ends up in the Wild West. As if that’s not enough, he’s captured by a gang of outlaws - and runs into Billy Bonnie, better known as Billy the Kid. Can Max make it back to the comparative safety of his bedroom in 2016? Will he want to? I’m not one of the YAs whom this book is aimed at, but the smart word in book publishing these days is “cross-over fiction” - and The Kid did it for me. Just one word of warning: after reading this, don’t play too many tricks with your computer.
April 19, 2016
This YA tale by Annette Oppenlander is the second book in her Escape from the Past historical time-travel trilogy. This time Max Nerds is pulled through his computer game into the late night desert of New Mexico in 1881 where he is greeted with a pistol in his back and his adventures begin. It's very well written with an exciting plot and excellent characters. It also provides an accurate history and description of the Wild West in the 1880’s. The concept of a modern teenager plunged into the past and his struggle to deal with the overwhelming and often very dangerous situations he encounters is both captivating and elucidating. The accurate historical setting blended into a compelling story makes the past come alive and learning a pleasure.
July 5, 2016
In the second book of Annette Oppenlander’s Escape From The Past series, Max once again faces dangers in a time past and a foreign landscape due to being transported by a very unusual computer game. He has to make tough choices and take difficult actions to successfully return home again, just like he did the first time when he was stranded in medieval Germany. The story is action-packed and will have the reader biting their nails the whole time, plus you get to learn some history in addition.
December 9, 2015
I received an advance copy from the author.
Max is back! Annette Oppenlander has created a fast-paced adventure that won't disappoint readers of her first novel in the series. The setting is wonderfully described, and is a complete change from the Germany of the first book, trading castles for desert and Dukes for bandits. Although it's very different from what I normally read, I must say that I'm excited to see how this trilogy ends!
Max is back! Annette Oppenlander has created a fast-paced adventure that won't disappoint readers of her first novel in the series. The setting is wonderfully described, and is a complete change from the Germany of the first book, trading castles for desert and Dukes for bandits. Although it's very different from what I normally read, I must say that I'm excited to see how this trilogy ends!
May 12, 2017
This is the second book the in the Escape from The Past series by Annette Oppenlander. This book follows Max again as he enters the game again going to a new era the Wild West. Max is again lost in what the goal of the game is and how to survive in this era. We get to meet a new set of characters in the book as well as learn about the Wild West.
Again, in this book the author does an amazing job creating an entire new world to submerse yourself in while reading. This time we are in the wild west and following the timeline of Billy the Kid. As a reader, you can tell that the author has carefully taken her time to research this era, with all the of the imagery and descriptions I feel like I am in the Wild West with Max. The author describes town life as well as the life of the Indians in this book perfectly. While reading the book, it feels so real that you could almost be in the game with Max.
Max is growing on me as a main character. He has grown a lot since and during the first book to the second book. We can see a change in his mannerisms as well as the relationship with his mother. Max has taken his free time to research the era he was first dropped into as well as learn some survival skills. I love how the author can add a love interest into the book each time. It makes Max show his true feelings and make him become more of an enjoyable teenager. I also love that the book is told completely from Max’s point of view because we not only get him describing what is happening, but we get a lot of his feelings as different events are happening in the book. We have a lot of action in this book since the Wild West was a challenging era Max has a lot to learn about the interactions between everyone.
I loved how we got a lot more details about the game and the function of the game. The author makes almost a complete second story with how the game functions during this book. I can’t wait to read the third book and see how this ends up. We have some new characters mentioned that are in present day so I am hoping they are in the next book as well.
I guess my one compliant was I loved the characters from the first book especially Bero he grew on me. The author does mention these characters in this book, but just in passing. I wish we got more interaction with the original characters. I feel this book wouldn’t make full sense if you read this as a standalone book, there are a lot of references back to the first book and the whole idea of him being teleported into the game could be picked up, but if you read the first book it would make a lot more sense what the end goal is.
I would suggest this as a nighttime read. There were parts of the story in which a lot of action was taking place and made it harder to put the book down, but for the most part there where some natural stopping points that helped me with reading this at night.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book.
Again, in this book the author does an amazing job creating an entire new world to submerse yourself in while reading. This time we are in the wild west and following the timeline of Billy the Kid. As a reader, you can tell that the author has carefully taken her time to research this era, with all the of the imagery and descriptions I feel like I am in the Wild West with Max. The author describes town life as well as the life of the Indians in this book perfectly. While reading the book, it feels so real that you could almost be in the game with Max.
Max is growing on me as a main character. He has grown a lot since and during the first book to the second book. We can see a change in his mannerisms as well as the relationship with his mother. Max has taken his free time to research the era he was first dropped into as well as learn some survival skills. I love how the author can add a love interest into the book each time. It makes Max show his true feelings and make him become more of an enjoyable teenager. I also love that the book is told completely from Max’s point of view because we not only get him describing what is happening, but we get a lot of his feelings as different events are happening in the book. We have a lot of action in this book since the Wild West was a challenging era Max has a lot to learn about the interactions between everyone.
I loved how we got a lot more details about the game and the function of the game. The author makes almost a complete second story with how the game functions during this book. I can’t wait to read the third book and see how this ends up. We have some new characters mentioned that are in present day so I am hoping they are in the next book as well.
I guess my one compliant was I loved the characters from the first book especially Bero he grew on me. The author does mention these characters in this book, but just in passing. I wish we got more interaction with the original characters. I feel this book wouldn’t make full sense if you read this as a standalone book, there are a lot of references back to the first book and the whole idea of him being teleported into the game could be picked up, but if you read the first book it would make a lot more sense what the end goal is.
I would suggest this as a nighttime read. There were parts of the story in which a lot of action was taking place and made it harder to put the book down, but for the most part there where some natural stopping points that helped me with reading this at night.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book.
May 6, 2016
Continuing his time travel gaming adventures, Max misses the Middle Ages and lands in 1881 New Mexico instead. Faced with ruthless violence all around, his best hope to survive the game and make it back home is to channel the lessons he learns from two very unexpected sources - a young Indian girl and Billy the Kid. But Max also soon realizes going home is not as safe as he once thought it was either. Action-packed and filled with historical details, readers can relive the days of cowboys, the Gold Rush, Native American tribal rituals and customs, and all the other dangers of America's Wild West.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews