- Laurie isn"t sure what to make of "The Wave". It had begun as a simple history experiment to liven up their World War II studies and had become a craze that was taking over their lives. Laurie"s classmates were changing from normal teenagers into chanting, saluting fanatics. "The Wave" was sweeping through the school - and it was out of control. Laurie"s friends scoff at her warnings but she knows she must make them see what they have become before it"s too late. This book is based on a nightmarish true episode in a Californian high school.