The Wave (1993) (edit title/settings)

• Rated 5 stars

“A book based on a true story about a teacher who decided to teach his students about the pressure of being in an exclusive group. A great book for High School students.”

• Rated 3 stars

“This was an Okay book. Ben Ross, is the History teacher at Gordon high. He is teaching his students about Nazis Germany. It all starts when he shows the class a video on the camps they put the Jews in. The students had many questions for him. There was one question he could not answer, so he starts the class room experiment. The Wave. It is supposed to teach them how the Nazis ruled in fear. The whole school is involved. Has the class room experiment gone too far? Who will End it if it Has? ”

• Rated 4 stars

“January 31, 2013
[I have finished this book.]
The Wave is about a class learning about the Nazis and WWII that take an experiment too far. My favorite character is Laurie because, throughout the entire novel, she maintained her personality, her individuality and stood up for her beliefs even thought all her friends became fascists, blindly following the crazy rules of their teacher. To make this book better, I would have made the ending less of a cliff-hanger and more detailed than abrupt.”

• Rated 4 stars

“January 31, 2013
]]]]POSSIBLE SPOILER[[[[
In my opinion, the author didn't do a really good job with the ending. He [Todd Strasser] did a really good job describing the exciting moments during the story however at the end it seemed like he couldn't find a better way to end it. During the story he described Laurie the most and how life changed for her but then at the end he just left her. I believe this caused the kind of 'boring' ending. However overall the author did a good job with description and rising action.”

• Rated 4 stars

“January 31, 2013 - I haver finished the book
The Wave intrigued me very much. Probably because I am a World War 2 enthusiast, but it had a message that every one can relate to. It showed the importance of being independent. It showed the importance of being yourself and not giving in to peer pressure or power. The ending let me down a little, but I guess the author did have reasoning for ending it in the way he did. But back to the theme, following a group blindly that has power can lead to consequences. This theme was shown through the way David and Robert were manipulated by the Wave. That feeling of being equal to each other but over non-members intrigued them. Overall the Wave taught us all a valuable lesson, and I would definitely recommend it. ”

• Rated 4 stars

“January 31, 2013.

]]]]]]Slight Spoiler Alert![[[[[[

In my opinion the book had a really great rising action but then the most poorly written part of the story was the ending. Although maybe the author expected the reader to think about the story more I was left wanting more. He probably should have added more to the final scene or made another because it ended so abruptly. It is also, even though it's a true event, rather unrealistic how a bunch of high school children who should be independent and thinking for themselves get so enthusiastic and attached to something rather dumb as the Wave. And then they just end it like that as well, easily. That is why I'd give this book a four out of five stars, the ending wasn't meeting the rest of the book's expectations. Good overall though.”

• Rated 4 stars

“"The Wave" by Todd Strasser seemed to be about a classroom experiment gone however the true message in this book is struggle for acceptance between the characters. the author's craft was somewhat constant, he decided to let the character's change the fate of the book. This is interesting because he chose to end the book based on the teacher's decision. The action of the book was mostly dependant on the setting this is because in a school having power isn't hard. teachers, principals, and security members already have power so basing the story in a school was smart. you should read this book if you want to know how the unbalance of power within the student body affected a teacher's decision. this book is a great book because you won't get bored of it and is hard to put down. ”

• Rated 3 stars

“The book is going well i love it for now.”

• Rated 5 stars

“January 31, 2013.
[I have finished this book.]

The Wave is a story about a school experiment that goes to far. The best moment in the book was when Mr. Ross gave his speech in front of the Wave members. It was impressive, and it contained the moral that Mr. Ross and the author tried to teach the people: To never follow a group's will blindly. I strongly agree with this, since following a group can sometimes ignore one's need and individuality. This book was great because it was realistic, and the author took time to describe every character's backgrounds and feeling about The Wave. My favorite character in this book is Laurie Saunders, the protagonist. She is confident of herself, and when everybody else followed the Wave without thinking, she stood up for her own rights to express herself freely. This book contains power struggle, jealousies between friends, and the true identity. I think choosing the setting as a school was a great thing, because school is, indeed, a place of competition to control over somebody else. Overall, it was well-written, and intriguing book.”

• Rated 4 stars

“Jan. 31, 2013 (Review of The Wave)
Theme: To not blindly follow a group because of what it promises. I really like how the theme came out of the story. At first the theme was very clear in the beginning of the book because it was the lesson Mr.Ross was trying to teach his students. Then as the book progressed the message was somewhat lost in the book as the real meaning of the wave was lost as well. Then i liked how the theme was mentioned again at the end which makes you realize that throughout the whole book that was what was being shown even though it is not obvious in the middle of the book.

To what extent does power or the lack of power affect individuals?

In the wave, the lack of power i think really affects the character Robert Billings. Robert Billings is the typical high school loser who has no friends and everyone forgets about him, so when Mr. Ross introduces The Wave and the fact that it stands for unity, Robert loves it. He suddenly has friends and is no longer ignored or picked on. His lack of power made him want power real bad and now that he has it, he is consumed in it and doesn't realise what it is doing to him and everyone else in a bad way. ”