Create Your Own Secret Language: Invent Codes, Ciphers, Hidden Messages, and More

by David J. Peterson, Ryan Goldsberry (Illustrations)

Protect your diary from snooping siblings. Share your secrets with a BFF. Guard your texts from unwanted eyes. Create the lingua franca for your own fantastical secret world! Expert language creator David J. Peterson (inventor of languages for Game of Thrones, the Marvel Universe, and more) guides you as you create your own secret languages, codes, ciphers, and hidden messages.

From simple cyphers to entirely new alphabets, Create Your Own Secret Language will help you master the skills of secret communication, whether it's written, drawn, or spoken. By the time your finished reading, you'll be able to share messages memora vosak laz vos otihoe vosecchi! ("that no one will be able to understand!)

Illustrations by Ryan Goldsberry

Genres: Nonfiction, Parenting, Linguistics, Childrens

144 pages, Paperback

Published June 30, 2020

About the author

My name is David Peterson, and I'm a language creator and writer. I'm the author of Living Language Dothraki, The Art of Language Invention, and Create Your Own Secret Language. I've been creating languages for television shows and movies since 2009. Some of the productions I've worked on (and languages I've created for them) are: HBO's Game of Thrones (Dothraki, High Valyrian, Astapori Valyrian); Syfy's Defiance (Castithan, Irathient, Indojisnen, Kinuk'aaz); Freeform's Motherland: Fort Salem (Méníshè); Netflix's The Witcher (Hen Linge); the CW's The 100 (Trigedasleng); HBO's House of the Dragon (High Valyrian); and Legendary's Dune (Chakobsa).

Reviews

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly thought that this was a really cute book. It was definitely really intriguing as well as being a fun way to teach kids about the intricacies of language. Definitely would recommend to anyone looking to learn more about how languages are developed and the different kinds. Plus, its really fun to create your own!

[Barred Owl Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! The perfect activity book for younger exploring minds, especially during quarantine!

[Carlos Eliseo Ortiz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book that teaches children how to create their own language. It gives the young reader a sense of grammar and languages.

[John Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Create Your Own Secret Language, by David J. Peterson; Odddot.com: New York; $12.99, paperback

Kids who have been at home a while know one thing. Their brothers and sisters are creeps who breathe their air! They want to be alone! They want to talk to their friends! Why can't they have some privacy!!! Why can't they leave me alone? A wise parent, hearing some version of these complaints, now has a solution.
Give you children a way to create their own secret language! Instead of hearing the same merry-go- round arguments, give them a means of talking to their friends in a secure, even secret way. David J. Peterson is an inventor. He invents languages. He's done so for such wonders as Marvel's Cinematic Universe, Game of Thrones, and a host of other famous settings. He's devised this beginners guide to inventing codes, ciphers, and hidden messages. He'll show kids how to substitute letters for letters, and so make secret messages only 'real friends' can read. He'll keep the prying eyes of the creepy little brother out of your diary, because even when he tries to steal it, he'll be foiled because it is in a symbol code even his obnoxious buddies can't figure out. Peterson's guide will advise your budding sleuth of pitfalls, too. You'll see how some codes and ciphers can just be too hard to decipher. Or, some secret messages using symbols might be too easy to unlock, and thus not worth the effort.
When you are trying to keep a secret, know who can read it. That means you have to have a 'key' which you give only to trusted friends. But where will they use this code? Will it be on a computer? In a letter? Beware! Each of these methods is subject to its own difficulties.Everyone who reads this will see examples of all types of methods used to keep secrets. There will be examples and then challenges to be sure you have it right. How better to while away a rainy afternoon than to learn about secret ways of communicating...then trying it yourself!

[adaynasmile · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a copy of this book, free, through Goodreads Giveaways, in exchange for an honest review.

I am way behind in reviewing this book! I read it right after I got it, and was planning on implementing it in my homeschool. We have yet to use it but I was, and am, excited about the book. I love the information that it provides about different ways of communicating, different codes and ciphers that have been used throughout history, spaces to try different puzzles, and the encouragement to be creative. This book helps kids to understand how written languages are created, how codes are used, and how we can communicate with our own unique and creative written languages. Its educational and fun all in one little book! I highly recommend it.

[Carol Stephan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book about creating your own language to share secrets with your friends and to keep things such as diaries private from snooping eyes in your household. Nice graphics and some pages allow using it as a workbook to practice. It also provides information about languages and how those are formed, therefore another teaching tool.

I think the audience for this book would be 10 to 14 years old although it is a bit sophisticated so best for middle graders that enjoy reading and are curious about words and language.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Camille · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is shockingly good. Don’t let the cover art fool you, this was a good book for an adult. It’s a nice intro to linguistics. It covers every single code or cipher writing strategy I’ve ever learned about plus extras. It also goes over the parts of speech and things languages HAVE to have - or not. This is great for kids who like language, spies, other countries, secrets, codes, cursive, anything like that. Heck. It’s good for ADULTS who like anything like that.

This book is dope.

[Shari Gonzales · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is thoughtfully designed to be appealing and accessible to young readers. The voice is friendly and fun. Whimsical illustrations and graphic elements present the process of developing an encoding system as an adventure. Engaging areas for note taking encourage readers to learn by doing.

[Ginni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turning over the job of reviewing this nifty little book to my 8-year-old, who is currently obsessed with all things even tangentially spy-related.



(I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)

[Adam Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes the reader through progressively more sophisticated activities beginning with a simple substitution cypher through more sophisticated codes, to writing systems, relexifications to full-blown invented languages.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads for the giveaway. Such a fun book to do with kids and learn something new and fun. I would recommend.

[Kathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and well detailed! A great book for children to be creative and sneaky. I would recommend this for creativity and learning.

[Melisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think most children have gone through this phase, where they want to be secretive and mysterious, and what better way to do that than to create secret codes and languages with your friends. I have to admit, this book began strong and then went SO in depth that even I, a full grown woman (LOL), was overwhelmed. There were ideas for SO many different ways to code and suggestions for how to develop your own ideas and ciphers. Written with a younger audience in mind, this book definitely progresses to the point where even adults will be challenged.

[Sheree Gibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good informational book introducing young children to secret messages and coding.