Don’t you think it would be great to be able to create your own secret language or have the tools to break codes others make? Imagine you are an archaeologist and you discover hieroglyphs, or other languages on a wall, wouldn’t you like to know if it’s safe to go forward? Create Your Own Secret Language gives you the steps you need to learn this important skill.
What I am Reviewing
David J. Peterson wrote this beginner’s guide in codes and ciphers for middle schoolers just this year. Create Your Own Secret Language helps the reader to invent codes, ciphers, hidden messages, and more. Carefully illustrated by Ryan Goldsberry. You will find 144 purple and white pages broken into 3 sections containing several smaller sections.
One: From Letters and Numbers to Ciphers – 10 subsections
Two: From Ciphers to Codes
Three: From Ciphers and Codes to a Language.
I am delighted to review this MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group book on behalf of Raincoast Books.
The Details – Create your own secret language
Hidden messages great us as we crack open David J. Peterson’s latest book for middle school readers. Can we figure it out? How ever will we learn to decode this message?
First, let’s learn a bit about how language works, some sounds are soft, others hard, and yet others can be sung. It may be that for all languages, we can use that information to help us decipher other languages.
Using actual made up codes with plenty of space for decoding, the author helps the reader learn to decode these odd codes.
Actual practical example create the perfect opportunity for the reader to put into use the steps they are given. The decoded message is always provided so the reader can double-check their efforts.
You will learn about substitutions, numeric or picture codes. The fun continues as you discover the fun of sound based codes, scytales, and glyphs. Learn how to make interesting scripts based off of shapes and positions. How can a block turn into the symbol of a sound or letter?
Along the way you’ll tighten up your knowledge of the parts of speech and the differences in how the letters of our alphabet sound. It’s rather neat how it fits together… create a new language and learn your own better!
Should you Get it?
I see so much potential in Create Your Own Secret Language by David J. Peterson. A great addition to a history study on battles and coding, a way to explore your own language and using it to create code, or even using math to create code. It could simply be a fun summer book for a child to work through, leading to the confounding of their parents! 🙂 It’s a fun, well-made book that should delight many a 10-14 year old.
Lori says
This one looks like a lot of fun!
Annette1 says
it is, thoroughly enjoyed it. the lad would have loved it when he was 10