A biography of the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Hungarian Jews during World War II makes Raoul Wallenberg’s life immediate, dramatic, and accessible in a scrapbook-style presentation accompanied by short sections of narrative text that look like verse and read like urgent sound bites. “We are surrounded by a tragedy of immeasurable proportions,” Wallenberg wrote his mother as he labored with others in Hungary to save as many Jews as he could. He not only set up a vast department for issuing schutzpasse that placed the bearers under the protection of the Swedish government, but also lobbied the Hungarian government, and later the Germans, sometimes putting himself physically between German soldiers and the Jews they were rounding up to deport. Author Louise Borden interviewed surviving Wallenberg family members and friends as part of her thorough research into this account that follows Wallenberg from childhood until his disappearance in the days after Hungary was liberated by the Soviets. She also chronicles attempts to determine what happened to him after the Soviets took him into custody, ultimately noting, “The fate of Raoul Wallenberg is still unknown.” With its inviting narrative style and visually captivating presentation, this compelling work will appeal to both avid and reluctant readers. (Age 11 and older)