The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino
#4034.05 adjusted 4.03 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1936 Reading commitment Low Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
Zolotoy klyuchik, ili Priklyucheniya Buratino (The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino) is a children's fantasy novel by the Soviet writer Aleksey Tolstoy, published in 1936. It retells Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio: the carpenter Papa Carlo carves a long-nosed wooden puppet, Buratino, who comes to life. Tolstoy added his own plot, in which the puppet-master Karabas Barabas is after a golden key that opens a secret door in Papa Carlo's home. Other characters include Malvina, Pierrot, Duremar, and Tortila the Turtle, who gives Buratino the key. It is a standalone book with no sequel by Tolstoy.
Fairy-tale retelling · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Золотой ключик, или Приключения Буратино; A retelling of Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio with a plot added by Tolstoy. | 1936 | 1 | core | 4.05 (5,311 ratings) |
A standalone children's retelling of Pinocchio with a golden key and a secret door.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino? The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino finished? Complete (1936).
- How much reading does The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino ranked? #403 in this site's official ranking, based on 5,311 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #403?
Ranked #403 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.05 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (5,311 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #402, Caraval (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 1 book · Complete · 5k ratings · Ranks #403 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment fairy-tale retelling fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.05 across 5,311 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 29 universes; Inda widened to Sartorias-deles; 5 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = Золотой ключик, или Приключения Буратино (1936).