Take a photo of a barcode or cover
lrmsreads 's review for:
Be Frank with Me
by Julia Claiborne Johnson
I'm going to be frank with you, I was not ready for Be Frank with Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson to be over when I finished. In fact, I hope Johnson revisits these characters in a sequel. Alice is sent to Los Angeles to essentially babysit M.M. Banning (Mimi) until she finally completes her second novel. Her main job is to care for Mimi's 10 year old son, Frank. Mimi still remains a bit of enigma to me, but I think that's the point. The elusive, reclusive author remains so throughout the story. I really liked Alice and her relationships with her boss, Mr. Vargas and with Frank. But, the real star of this book is Frank. Without it being said in the book, it is clear Frank is on the autism spectrum, and his fascination with old movies and dressing the part was so endearing. I do wish more resolution would have come from the story line of the issues he was having at his school, especially with the principal. I think more could have been done to address the realities of autism because I am sure a parent of a child with autism would criticize the book for making autism look like something sweet, quirky, and easily managed. Even though I acknowledge this shortcoming of the book, I still loved Frank so much that it didn't affect my overall feelings towards the book.