Beverly Gray's Assignment

Beverly Gray #17

by Clair Blank

Genres: Mystery

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1947

About the author

A year after her high school graduation in 1933, Clair Blank's first four books in the Beverly Gray series had been published -- she was a published author at the age of 18. In 1935, she wrote The Adventure Girls at the K Bar O and was immediately asked by the publisher for two additional stories so that it could be made into a series.

Clair Blank lived in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She graduated from college, became a typist and secretary, and during World War II worked as a volunteer for American Women’s Voluntary Services, a group that drove visiting Army officers around locally. She married George Elmer Moyer, a welder, in 1943 and had two sons.

Series:
* Beverly Gray
* The Adventure Girls

Reviews

[Kaitlyn Dunnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a so-so entry, but entertaining all the same. I'm reading in an original 1947 Grosset & Dunlap edition (blue cover) and the pages, since they aren't acid free paper, are yellowed almost to brown, tear easily, and are just a tad smelly. I think I had this title in a Clover edition at one time, but the pages in that one came loose and the whole thing just fell apart. It's a real pity some of these oldies but goodies aren't available as print on demand books, or as ebooks. They're certainly as worthy of being preserved as the Nancy Drews. If someone ever does re-release them, I hope it will be without the "updating" those Nancy's mysteries have undergone. Better to let the stories disappear than to mess with the way the original author wrote them.

[Dina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series keeps getting better! A fun and productive treasure hunt for a lost fortune was the premise for this book.

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous second hand store find. I had never heard of Beverly Gray before and honestly that's a crime.

Beverly Gray's assignment is near the tail end of the 26 book series and the way they are written welcomes and entices new readers. While I had never read any of the earlier books the story references previous adventures as if talking to an old friend, as if you obviously know what happened to the inheritance in England or the experimental aircraft, I didn't feel like I was missing any important information needed to enjoy the novel but felt more like there were more mysteries waiting for me if I wanted them.

The writing is clear and and goes down easy and while the sheer amount of things that happen to Beverly and her friends should be exhausting (kidnapping, held at gun point, shipwrecked, kidnapped again), it is more than forgivable.

Beverly Gray is a perfect read for fans of classic Nancy Drew who wish that she had slightly more mature adventures and dangers. A classic pulp mystery adventure and a super fun read. I know I'll be on the lookout for more of the Beverly Gray series.

[Chloe Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Beverly Gray's Assignment for one of my time period books.. Let me just say from the first page I could tell this was going to be an awesome book. Awesome because it was so outdated and cliche'. At first I found myself getting annoyed at almost every single character, but then I just tried to imagine the main character as my grandma haha. It was a mystery and it reminded me a lot of the Nancy Drew books my mom used to read my sisters and me as kids. I found most of the plot to be a bit obvious, but it was entertaining, and I think that is pretty much the whole purpose of this series. The thing I enjoyed the most out of the book were the little dialog gems "Land!" Lenora Whitehill exclaimed. "Actually U.S. Terra Firma! I was never so glad to see anything!" (from the first page). I especially liked the advertisement at the very end of the book for the next book in the series "...Beverly soon would become involved in an even stranger and more baffling set of circumstances in Beverly Gray's Mystery".

Language: only gag worthy 1940's slang....

Sex: um... none.

Violence: none

[Claire Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book because I needed a book written before 1960. I liked the idea of a mystery set in this earlier time period. It really did remind me of Nancy Drew, which I see a lot of people saying on goodreads.

I really enjoyed reading about the characters and the different problems they face because of the time period. I also enjoyed reading about the girls solving the problems rather than men since in this time period women were seen as rather helpless. I enjoyed reading about Beverly and Kay working together. There was no girl drama which I liked a lot.

Warnings:
Drugs 0
sex 0
R&R a young girl (Doreen) is being held at her aunt and uncles house, like a captive
Language 0
violence mentions

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose this book because I like mystery and this one had mystery and I needed a book written before 1960. I would recommend this to younger tweens who are just beginning to be introduced to bigger books.
If I were using this in a classroom, I would use it as an example of thinking more deeply about the plotline of your story and not relying on the easy way out or a series coincidences, as it makes a boring and predictable story.
Warnings::
Drugs: No.
Sex: No.
Rock & Roll: ?
Language: No.
Violence: Mentions.

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually like this book better than the Dana Girls or Vicki Barr. Can't wait for the next one. Great read for girls 10 and up.