Project Gutenberg 2019-01-21 Public domain in the USA. 143 Bixby, Jerome 1923 1998 Bixby, Jay Lewis Bixby, Jerry Bixby, Drexel Jerome Lewis Neal, Harry Drexel, Jay B. Lewis, D. B. Lewis, D.B. Orban, Paul 1896 1974 Little Boy Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, October 1954 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Little Boy" by Harry Neal is a science fiction short story penned during the mid-20th century. Set in a post-apocalyptic world after a catastrophic event that has devastated civilization, the narrative revolves around the survival instincts of children in a lawless society. The story captures the brutal transformation of humanity, particularly focusing on a young boy named Steven, whose experiences reflect both the savagery and innocence that coexist in children. The narrative follows Steven, an eleven-year-old boy navigating a ruined New York City where danger lurks at every corner. He survives by scavenging for food and avoiding adult predators who have descended into violence and chaos. His solitary existence changes when he encounters a girl of similar age. Their initial confrontation escalates into a tense moment that ultimately leads them to establish a bond through play, showing the flicker of innocence beneath their hardened exteriors. As they find laughter and companionship amidst the harshness of their reality, the story conveys a poignant message about the resilience of childhood and the deep-seated need for connection, even in a world that has nearly forgotten kindness. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 90.4 (5th grade). Very easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction Boys -- Fiction Apocalyptic fiction PS Text Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 57970 2025-06-23T11:28:23.763808 text/html 54558 2019-01-21T05:47:58 text/html 438494 2025-06-23T11:28:25.802829 application/epub+zip 437337 2025-06-23T11:28:24.185813 application/epub+zip 82052 2025-06-23T11:28:23.940807 application/epub+zip 475186 2025-06-23T11:28:27.217843 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 467467 2025-06-23T11:28:25.570784 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 112438 2022-09-26T16:45:30.867203 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 50960 2025-06-23T11:28:23.622812 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 51178 2019-01-21T05:47:58 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 20429 2025-06-23T11:28:27.371781 application/rdf+xml 24413 2025-06-23T11:28:24.026826 image/jpeg 4707 2025-06-23T11:28:23.983793 image/jpeg 377461 2019-01-21T05:47:58 application/octet-stream application/zip 19390 2019-01-21T05:47:58 application/octet-stream application/zip 378299 2025-06-23T11:28:23.777846 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia