Book cover of The Innocent

Book description

School's out on the planet Tarshish...forever.

Humans have established a thriving colony on the planet Tarshish, until a native species of semi-insectoids awakens from a long incubation and attacks the colony. Only the children survive--and a computer.

The computer teaches the children how to form their own community. A community…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Innocent as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This book is short but to-the-point and extremely entertaining. One of its best qualities is how much sense it actually made, how the author thought through what would happen if a bunch of preteens were abandoned on a planet with only a computer to aide them. These are some shrewd kids, making sensible decisions—like lowering the marriage age to thirteen, which is honestly hilarious.

The author really handled his wonderful characters very well, capturing the reality of life and human beings without resorting to cliché cop-outs. I was pleasantly surprised by how good this book turned out to be.

From William's list on kids manage their adult free world.

If you love The Innocent...

Ad

Book cover of December on 5C4

December on 5C4 by Adam Strassberg,

Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa stories–all reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!

On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argue…

Want books like The Innocent?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 76 books like The Innocent.

Browse books like The Innocent

Book cover of Swallows and Amazons
Book cover of Gone
Book cover of The Only Ones

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,277

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like The Innocent, you might also like...

Book cover of The Bridge: Connecting The Powers of Linear and Circular Thinking

The Bridge by Kim Hudson,

The Bridge provides a compassionate and well researched window into the worlds of linear and circular thinking. A core pattern to the inner workings of these two thinking styles is revealed, and most importantly, insight into how to cross the distance between them. Some fascinating features emerged such as, circular…

Book cover of And Then They Were Gone: Teenagers of Peoples Temple from High School to Jonestown

And Then They Were Gone by Ron Cabral,

Of the 918 Americans who died in the shocking murder-suicides of November 18, 1978, in the tiny South American country of Guyana, a third were under eighteen. More than half were in their twenties or younger.

The authors taught in a small high school in San Francisco where Reverend Jim…

5 book lists we think you will like!