Angel in Vegas: The Chronicles of Noah Sark [Hardcover]

Norma Howe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 10, 2009

Good heavens! A teen angel drops into Sin City in this wickedly funny YA novel from the author of the Blue Avenger trilogy.

Who is Noah Sark, really? And what is he doing in the men’s room at Angelo’s Donut Shop in Las Vegas, Nevada? No use asking him; he doesn’t know. But he’s gambling that an assignment from above will shed some light — after all, a life depends on it! Only master satirist Norma Howe could craft a provocative meditation on free will from blending one (or maybe two) budding teen romances, a psychic fair, a dead frog, a headful of blond curls, and Las Vegas in all its glitz and kitsch (hello, Elvis!) with the dramatic backstory of Princess Diana in Paris. The jackpot? A wild and witty portrait of an unlikely guardian angel on a desperate mission to save a certain unknown girl from a certain unknown disaster.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—Noah Sark comes to in an all-night donut shop bathroom in Las Vegas with no idea who or where he is. He only knows that he has a mission and that the tools he needs are in his backpack. Noah is a guardian angel and this is standard protocol. As he works out who he is here to protect, he fills readers in on what it takes to be an angel and corrects the rampant misinformation on Earth about his kind—such as the difference between seraphim and cherubim. Noah is eager to succeed as his last mission, to protect Princess Diana, was a complete failure. Turns out the angels in charge have a sense of humor and Noah's newest charge is a dead ringer for the dead princess. Can Noah protect her while battling the raging hormones of the teenage boy's body he is currently working out of? Can he protect her while distracted by the glitz of Las Vegas? The author strives for comedy, but Noah's angst and asides grow wearisome. A. M. Jenkins's Repossessed (HarperTeen, 2007) is a better book with a similar concept. Purchase where Norma Howe's "Blue Avenger" series (Holt) is popular.—Caroline Tesauro, Radford Public Library, VA
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From Booklist

Noah Sark (don’t miss the Noah’s ark pun) is a guardian angel on a new case. He is trying to make up for his less-than-stellar work in Paris, where he was supposed to guard Princess Diana in 1997. This time he lands in Angelo’s All-Day All-Nite Donut Emporium in Las Vegas, and his mission is to guard Barbra, a girl named after Funny Girl Streisand herself who looks a lot like Princess Di and has an Elvis impersonator father. Noah quickly befriends Barbra and her boyfriend, Andy, to provide close safety surveillance. His efforts take him up and down the Strip and feature all the hot spots of Sin City. Along the way, Noah imparts his heavenly impression of humans, including their misguided beliefs about heaven and angels, and he takes some potshots at organized religion of all denominations. Noah clearly has a good heart, and he tries to teach Andy how to be a more supportive and kinder boyfriend. A fun romp that, if it doesn’t offend readers, will surely entertain them. Grades 6-9. --Cindy Dobrez

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (November 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763639850
• ISBN-13: 978-0763639853
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 0.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,191,676 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, January 8, 2010

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Angel in Vegas: The Chronicles of Noah Sark (Hardcover)

The role of a Guardian Angel is to become a new identity and get close to the person you're trying to protect. You have no powers, no magic; you just have to be like a bodyguard, always ready for anything.

Our Angel of the story has been depressed over his last assignment for over a decade, never having a chance to leave Heaven because of his incident. That's when his Angel friend, Jake, gives him a second chance, to help a girl in Las Vegas.

Our Angel becomes Noah Sark, a teenage boy who is put in place with a bag of clues and extra help to guide him along the way. Books, maps, even a frog! He is to help a girl named Barbra who bears a striking resemblance to the assignment he can't forget.

Noah, Barbra, and Barbra's new boyfriend, Andy, all plan on going to a psychic convention. When will Barbra need his help? All he needs to do is watch and wait for the moment.

With vivid detail, the author shows us a side of Vegas that is fun to read. If you haven't been to Vegas, here is a great way to be right there in it with Noah and his newfound friends.

Reviewed by: Lesley

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Angel + Vegas = hilarious adventures!, December 26, 2009

By 

Barbara Bell (San Carlos, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Angel in Vegas: The Chronicles of Noah Sark (Hardcover)

Norma Howe dishes on guardian angels and Sin City in this engaging book. You're thinking, "What a combo," right? Howe takes the reader on an adventure as we meet up with a couple of zany teenagers, a misplaced guardian angel, and the Las Vegas strip.

Noah Sark, our guardian angel in question, is nothing but a guy who was an angel, didn't do so well in protecting Princess Diana, and, therefore, has been given a second chance. The second chance is protecting Barbra, named after Streisand and the reincarnated Princess Di.

The adventures of Noah, Barbra, and her boyfriend Andy, are entertaining and funny. You never know where these three are going to end up. In the audience of an Elvis impersonator show? At the psychic fair? In a Cessna 182? All of thew above, in fact.

Does Noah complete his task? Yes. At the very end, though, Howe leaves us on the hook. Her ending sounds like there is more to it. Could it be that it is a new beginning? Do we have more chronicles of Noah Sark coming?