Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to Secret Code

A customizable children's book that breaks stereotypes

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Secret Code launched in 2016; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Code▲76

   The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software

   2016 · namecheap.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Spy Codes: free booklet for kids (2018)▲75

   2019 · secretgeek.net · its alternatives →

3. 3
   Curly Bracket: The Hidden Code▲61

   A comic that teaches children to think like coders

   2016 · kickstarter.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Programming Languages ABC++▲73

   An alphabet book about coding for kids

   2015 · kickstarter.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   The Clean Coder▲61

   A code of conduct for programmers

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   Hello Ruby▲62

   Adventures in coding

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   The Book with No Pictures▲98

   A different kind of kids book by B.J. Novak

   2015 · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Obfuscation▲53

   A user's guide for privacy and protest

   2015 · mitpress.mit.edu · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Social Engineering▲62

   The Art of Human Hacking

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Hello Ruby▲107

    An illustrated storybook teaching Ruby to kids

    2014 · kickstarter.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Lying▲64

    An analysis to the human capacity to lie

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Nonsense▲59

    The power of not knowing

    2016 · namecheap.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    The Unsplash Book▲107

    The world's first 'fully' open source book

    2015 · kickstarter.com · its alternatives →

14. 14TM
    The Magic of Code – book about the wonders and weirdness of computation▲112

    I recently published a book called “The Magic of Code” which is about the delights of the computational world, examining computing as a kind of “humanistic liberal art” that connects to so many topics, from art and biology to philosophy and language. The link I’ve shared is to a page on my book’s website where you can download a pdf of the introduction, to give HN readers a taste of what is inside. Right now there is so much worry and concern around technology that I feel like some people—though not the folks here—have forgotten how much fun that code and computation can also be. So I wanted…

    2025 · themagicofcode.com · its alternatives →

15. 15
    authzed▲83

    A colleague and I made a kids' picture book that introduces authorization concepts. We work at AuthZed and explain these concepts regularly. We thought it'd be fun to put them together in a format accessible and appealing to kids and grownups alike. It would also be helpful when explaining what we do for work and make a unique gift for our families. The goal was a fun story first and foremost. We aimed to present concepts accessibly but made conscious decisions to simplify, knowing we couldn't be comprehensive in a picture book format. We also wanted visually appealing illustrations, so we…

    2021 · authzed.com · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Decoding AP Computer Science A▲60

    For high schoolers, by a high schooler

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Programming Pearls▲71

    Clever solutions to classic programming problems

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Hidden in Plain Sight▲74

    How to Create Extraordinary Products for Tomorrow's Customer

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

19. 19
    The Big Disconnect▲62

    Protecting Childhood and Relationships in the Digital Age

    2017 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Blindspot▲86

    Hidden biases of good people

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Code with Anna+Elsa▲82

    Hour of Code - draw fractals and snowflakes. Ages 8+

    2014 · studio.code.org · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Lostmy.name▲97

    The personal, magical, unique book for children

    2014 · wonderbly.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    American Girls▲67

    Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Suspicious Minds▲68

    Why we believe conspiracy theories

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →