Be Frank with Me - Julia Claiborne Johnson

A funny, poignant and unforgettable novel about Frank - one of the most lovable and unusual characters you'll ever meet.For some boys fitting in means standing outMeet Frank - a modern nine-year-old boy with the wit of Nol Coward and the wardrobe of a 1930s movie star.
Meet Mimi Banning - a reclusive literary legend and mother to Frank. Mimi has been holed up in her Bel Air mansion for years, keeping her secrets, hiding from the world. Until Alice. Meet Alice - a level-headed young woman who finds herself thrust into the Banning household, charged with looking after Mimi's unusual son. In so doing, Alice discovers a part of herself she never knew was missing.
Full of heart and humour, Be Frank With Me is a captivating and unconventional story of an unusual mother and son, and the intrepid young woman who finds herself irresistibly pulled into their unforgettable world.