Story Review of A Castle on Viola Street

Story Review of A Castle on Viola Street

The story “A Castle on Viola Street” talks about a boy who lives in a very poor family. He always dreamed of having a big fancy house. But he thought that would never happen. One day, he saw a poster that read: YOU TOO CAN OWN A HOME. This organization buys empty houses and fixes them up like new. The boy’s father said that if we help others, they will help you. So, the boy decided to sign up. The whole family helped to build the houses. Little by little, the town started blooming. The Tran family owned a new house, and the boy knew they would be next.

You can’t just assume that everything will be the same forever, because things will change around you. You haven’t noticed things changing because they change little by little. Maybe if you are poor, you will become rich one day! Maybe if you always lose in a game, you will become an expert at this game and win all the time! In the story, The boy’s father always told him that someday things will change around here, and it did change. The town looked like new because of the boy and the people’s hard work! What the boy’s father said did come true, and it will. Let go of the things you can’t change and hold on to the things you can change. When things change inside you, things change around you. Everything won’t stay the same forever.

You don’t need money to lead a rich life. Good friends and a loving family are worth their weight in gold. Family love can have the weight of the whole universe, and the weight of all the money in the world can only have the weight of a small pebble. In the story, the boy’s house is very shabby and old. They don’t have enough money to afford a makeover for their house. The boy’s mom stayed positive and said to the boy, “Our family is rich in more ways than we can count.” That means as long as they are happy and loved, they will always have a happy ending to their story. As long as we understand that we find happiness through family, friends, and love, then money is just a nice bonus. Family love is what everyone needs more than money.

Treat others the way you want to be treated. Talk to others the way you want to be talked to. Respect is earned, not given. Be careful how you treat people. What you do to others has a funny way of coming back to you. If you treat others the way you want others to treat you, people will give that feeling back to you. In the story, the boy’s dad told the boy, “if you are interested in fixing up a house for other people, other people will help fix up a house for you.” So, the boy’s family signed up to help others with their houses, and it led to their town blooming, including their house. People will forget what you said to them, people will forget what you did to them, but what people won’t forget is what you made them feel. So, Act kind to everybody.

Volunteers do not necessarily have the time. They have the heart. Volunteering is basically what people want to do to help people. Some people will help, some people won’t. Volunteering is all about you being able to contribute some of your own time to help people in our communities. In the story, the boy asked if all of them are getting a brand new house. The boy’s mother however replied that some of them will, but anyone who wants to can help. That’s called volunteering. Volunteering can provide a healthy boost to your self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. It is very helpful and affectionate of the family to help pitch in with the work. People should try to volunteer on things to be accessible and an ethical global citizen.

Slowness to change usually means fear of the new. I guess there are some things we’ll never get used to. New things are very challenging to get used to and people are used to changing very slowly. For example, if you are in a public school and you suddenly get into a private school, that will be very hard to get used to. In the story, some people were uncomfortable about the houses being rebuilt. The boy’s father said that they are just not getting used to the banging and newness of the workers and houses. The people in the story who don’t like the change of the town are just not trying to get used to the new things. People should try to get used to the sudden change around us even though we think it is hard. That’s how life works.

You're never too young for something you really want to do, never too young to go after your passion. Age doesn't matter at all. If it's something you want to do, it depends on your will. You are never too young to change the world. Being young does not mean you can’t do anything to change what’s around you. In the story, the boy’s sisters were too young to do all of the construction, but their mom said: “Being little is no excuse not to pitch in.” So, their mom made them from bags of lemon to make lemonade. You are never too young to lead and you should never doubt your capacity to triumph where others have not. So, People should always do something that will help even though they may be too little.

Dream and give yourself permission to envision the you that you choose to be. Dreams are things that you wish to come true and want them to happen. If you work hard enough, you might achieve or grasp onto your dream and be happy. If you want to be an art teacher, you should practice art every day to achieve your wants and needs. In the story, the boy’s dad said: “Big dreams are built little by little and we are making a start.” The whole family’s dream was to have a house that looked brand new. The whole family signed up and worked hard, and they eventually got what they needed. If everyone of us worked as hard as the boy and his family did, we would at least touch the tips of our dreams. People should work hard and try.

This story told us seven things: Someday things will change around here, Families are rich in more ways than we can count, Treat others how you wanted to be treated, Volunteering, slow changes and new things, being little is not an excuse not to pitch in, and big dreams are built little by little. The boy’s kindness filled up their town with the splashes of colors. They achieved their goals and dreams by working hard and trying. The whole family signed up because they wanted a new house and they thought that helping others will be helping them. They and the volunteers will brush with the paint to color the town. They are the light in the torch that is in the darkness.