The White Stag (Newbery Library, Puffin)

I first read the White Stag in fifth grade. I really liked this story because I found it to be very moody and beautiful. If I remember correctly, the story involves the early migrations of Eurasian people into the Eastern European steppes. I particularly liked this book because it is a fascinating blend of fact and legend, and deals with a somewhat obscure area of European history. A "Mists of Avalon" for younger readers.

Attila . . . who is this man? Attila the Hun . . . who is this conquerer? You may read every history book on this historic man, but you may not learn as much as when you read The White Stag. Ask yourself this: when does fiction end and history begin? There are few authors who can express themselves perfectly in both writing and drawing as Kate Seredy, the author of The White Stag. When she combines her talents into this book, the results are wonderous. The poetic words flow into rich pictures which capture the imagination and brings it into new heights. Even though The White Stag is a short book, it is an equal to any ancient history book with hundreds of pages. After you read this book, the memory of it lingers and enthralls you. Adults and childern alike can read this novel and find the satisfaction of an excellent book. Stories which mix fiction with facts are as true as history. When you read this book, you read history, because history is as full of untruths as truths. Read this book when you are young, and when you grow up, read it again to yourself anf your childern. Each time you read this book, your insight of its sighnificance will grow.

"The past lived in songs, the present in their flashing swords,and the future in their hearts." This twentieth century myth about the ancient Magyar migration is stark in content yet poetic in style; some passages seem more like poetry disguised as prose. Seredy has recreated an era long swallowed in the mists of lost cultures, when the Roman Empire was disintegrating under the relentless attacks of various "barbarian" tribes. The Huns and the Magyars followed the prophecy of aged Nimrod, leading their people ever westward from Asia to Eastern Europe. They needed bold, even ruthless leaders to accomplish this monumenal task, yet they were also inspired and championed by a mysterious animal protector--a magnificent white stag with supernatural power. It is difficult for us moderns to admire the Huns, a name synonymous with bloodthirsty aggresssion and destruction of post-Romanic culture. Yet Seredy's goal is to justify this epic migration--a March of Terror spanning three generations, which enabled her ancestors to achieve their self-imposed dream. They focused on steadfast obedience to their god, Hadur, who told them of a Promised Land "between two rivers, surrounded by mountains." There is both literary genius and respect in this saga of the birth and destiny of young Attila. This slender volume is actually a mini epic, piercing the curtain between History and Legend. For readers of all ages.