Escape from the past: The Kid
(Escape from the Past #2)
(Escape from the Past #2)
by Annette
Oppenlander
Genre: YA Historical Fiction, Time-Travel
Release Date: February 26th 2016
Summary from Goodreads:
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."
Genre: YA Historical Fiction, Time-Travel
Release Date: February 26th 2016
Summary from Goodreads:
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."
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Excerpt:
My chest began to throb without warning, then
tighten. Had it been this painful last time? Ten months had passed since I’d
last played. I smiled despite the pain. I couldn’t wait to sneak up on Bero.
Hug Juliana. The pressure on my body increased. She’d be mad, of course, but
then she’d kiss me. Maybe we could sneak into the barn tonight.
The weight on my lungs grew. Breathing
stopped. My vision filled with the red haze of oxygen deprivation. I tried to
gulp, but my ribs were glued to my sides. I was stuck...and terrified. The fog
turned gray...then black. Like last time, I managed to stand, but my legs and
feet stood rooted like the giant oaks in Hanstein’s forest.
My heart pounded in my neck, the only sign I
was still alive. The fog deepened. Why was this taking so long? Still the
pressure held as if I’d been thrown under a boulder. I was dying.
I’d made a huge mistake.
It’s easy to forget fear. Stuff happens and
you get distracted. After a while all you remember are the good things. Now
that I was unable to move, unable to do anything, I remembered the way I’d felt
the first time I landed in the game. I’d felt terror.
And terror was back now in full force,
squeezing my middle and poking at my heart. As the pressure lifted and the fog
cleared, the sense of impending doom gripped me with such force that I fell
forward. I’d made a horrible mistake.
Stumbling, I stubbed my toes and suppressing
a shout. In the near darkness, a rock or cliff rose wide as a house and three
stories high. I only saw its outline, a black edge against the starry sky
above.
The whistling I’d heard earlier definitely
came from between the giant rocks. The air was filled with the scent of
grasses, grit and something like sage. Had I returned in the summer?
Behind me the area appeared more open. Maybe
I was down near the river and Luanda’s house. Should I move in the dark or
wait? I’d get lost, wandering off in the wrong direction.
A cold wind dug under my shirt and nipped at my skin. I
tugged my sweater closer around me when I saw something glowing on the ground
like a huge red eye.
“Not
a move, Boy,” the voice hissed. “Or I’ll blow a hole through your gut.”
Reviews/Endorsements
“What a fun summer read! The Kid is an artful
combination of science fiction and historical fiction that come together in a
fantasy that is believable enough that the suspension of disbelief is possible
and make the reading truly enjoyable. The contrast between Max’s present-day
gamer lifestyle and the historical setting that he finds himself in offer a
glimpse of the past and make history relevant for young people who may find
historical connections difficult to make. What a wonderful way to bring history
to life, re-imagine the past, and imagine the future all at the same time!” —Patrice W.
Hallock, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Education, Chair, Educator Preparation
& Psych-Child Life, Utica College
“Escape from the Past: The Kid is a magical
fictional mystery interwoven with historical facts and exciting adventures. The
reader experiences the twists and turns of the story while gaining a greater
appreciation of the challenges of life in the Wild West during the late 1800’s.
Max, a typical teenager of today, is thrown into a series of arduous challenges
he must overcome in order to return to his former humdrum life. Along the way,
he and we gain valuable insights and appreciation of the hardships encountered
by the new western settlers and the Native American people amongst outlaws and
the formidable desert climate of the New Mexico area. It’s a thoroughly
enjoyable experience you will not want to miss.“ —Richard
Rafes, Ph.D., J.D., President of East Central University
“As an English teacher of 43 years and as a
life-long student of the Wild West and Native Americans, I found Annette
Oppenlander’s, The Kid, to be an accurate, well-researched and thoroughly
entertaining novel for young readers. The portrait of Max, the adventurous and
risk-taking protagonist, is spot on;he has the language of young men his age
and all the angst, dreams and longings that are hallmarks of a typical 17
year-old adolescent male. Ms. Oppenlander has a keen eye for detail, and her
ability to create cliffhanging situations of high suspense makes for a great
read. I strongly recommend this novel for any imaginative young reader who
likes to have one foot in fantasy and one in reality.” —Bill Hays,
English AP/Honors Teacher, Retired, Bloomington North High School
Escape
from the Past: The Duke’s Wrath (Escape from the Past Book #1)
About the Author
Annette Oppenlander writes historical fiction for young adults and
anyone who loves stories set in the past. When she isn’t in front of her
computer, she loves indulging her dog, Mocha, and traveling around the U.S. and
Europe to discover amazing histories.
"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 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 number, it turns into a story."
Author
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