Where the Heart IsBy Billie Letts

Presentation by Rachel

Author:Billie Letts…

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Wife of Dennis Letts, who played the sheriff in the movie version of “Where the Heart Is”

Wrote five books, including:You’ve got mail, Billie Letts 1999Where the Heart Is 1995The Honk and Holler Opening Soon 1998Shoot the Moon 2004Made in the USA 2008

Novalee Nation

Only 17Dating Willy Jack PickensMother of AmericusThinks 7’s are bad luckHas never lived in a real house, only ones with wheels under them7 months pregnant when the book begins.

Willy Jack Pickens

•He is 18•Really short, and therefore admires short musicians•Has a cousin in California, who works on the Railroad.•His cousin had his thumb cut off while working, and got a lot of money from it, so his plan is to get a job on the Railroad and get his pinky cut off, so he doesn’t have to work ever again. He doesn’t tell Novalee this though.

Americus Nation…Daughter of Novalee and Willy Jack

She has a lot of different people help raise her

&& she loves listening to people read

Sister Husband

Met Novalee the first day she was living at the Wal-Mart

Let Novalee live with her, and helped her raise Americus

Moses WhitecottonTook a picture with Novalee on the first day that she was living in Wal-Mart

Photographer who teaches Novalee how to take good pictures, and eventually Novalee wins an award for a picture she takes of Benny Goodluck

Gives Novalee a place to stay when she cannot stay with Sister Husband any longer.

Benny Goodluck

•Gives Novalee a Buckeye Tree on her first day living at Wal-Mart•The picture that Novalee took and won an award for was of Benny running in the woods, naked…•Towards the end of the book, Benny helps Novalee with taking pictures of all of the weddings, and other events.• && a surprise kiss between Benny and someone (who will find out only if you read the book)…

Buckeye Tree

Beginning of Book

Pregnant Novalee and Willy Jack are on their way to California, so that Willy Jack can get a job on the railroad. They stop at a Wal-Mart so that Novalee can get new house shoes…and Willy Jack leaves. So, stranded she decides to live in the Wal-Mart. There she meets Sister Husband, Moses Whitecotton, and Benny Goodluck.

Novalee meets Forney Hull one day while in the Library. He helps her find out information on keeping her Buckeye Tree alive, and then they become amazing friends.

One night, while alone in Wal-Mart, after it had closed, Novalee went into labor. She thought she could just sleep it off, because she didn’t have money to go to a hospital. However, the pain became too much to bear, and then out of nowhere, a man jumped through the window, and helped her deliver the baby. When she woke up in the hospital the next day she was told it was Forney.

There are

Deaths…

There are

Deaths…

There are

There

is a

Wedding…

There

is a

There

is

Wedding…

a

There

is

Wedding…

a

There

is

but with who??

Movie version of Where the Heart Is

Novalee Nation played by Natalie PortmanWilly Jack Pickens played by Dylan Bruno Americus played by Mackenzie Fitzgerald

Sister Husband played by Stockard ChanningMoses Whitecotton played by Keith David

Forney Hull played by James Frain

Other Books by Billie Letts

Made in the U.S.A.

Shoot the Moon

The Honk and Holler Opening Soon

You’ve Got Mail, Billie Letts