It won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature and received the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award.

Afraid they will never return and his people will be left leaderless, the old man offers a sacrifice to their god, Hadur—his war horse.

As they tell the story of their chase of the white stag, Nimrod realizes it is now time for them to take over leading their people, and he throws himself on the altar.

Now Hunor and Magyar lead the people in a search for their promised land, following the white stag they can never catch.

When they find themselves at a dead-end during a blinding snow storm, the White Stag appears to show them a path through the mountains to their promised land, modern-day Hungary.

It went on to call the book "A beautiful collection of mystical black-and-white illustrations and handcrafted fantasy… The White Stag is a poignant combination of myths, history, and legends.

[8] Reviewer Anita Silvey explains this by saying "Powerful, poetic prose and stunning illustrations combine to make (The Good Master) one of Seredy's best, although it lacks the child appeal of her other work.