"While doing research in the archives room of the Siena Municipal Public Library on 19th century Jewish life in that city, I notice a cardboard box labeled "Lorenzini?" The question mark showed that the archivist wasn't really sure about the authorship. Since Lorenzini wrote Pinocchio under the pen-name Collodi, I open the box and am astounded to see a handwritten manuscript titled: Tinocchia, the Adventures of a Jewish Puppetta. Excited by this serendipitous discovery, I photograph the pages with my cell phone and, after my return to the USA, translate the story into English. Two U.S. professors of Italian agree with me that this is very likely an anonymous work, for Collodi could not have known so much about Jewish life and customs depicted in the story. The question mark after Lorenzini was absolutely correct. Tinocchia is narrated in the first person. She was created by her carpenter father, Yossi, who named her Tinocchia after the Hebrew word for "baby", tinok, and as a nod to his friend and fellow woodworker, Gepetto, the creator of Pinocchio. Before Purim, as Tinocchia is preparing for a tryout for the upcoming annual Purim play, or shpil, in the synagogue, while riding on her magic cart she bumps into a puppetto. They speak for a couple of moments but do not exchange names. Tinocchia soon meets him again; now he introduces himself as Nipocchio. However, the puppetto's father, Gepetto, overhears this and castigates the wooden boy for fibbing again. Gepetto orders his son to introduce himself properly. Tinocchia asks Pinocchio if he'd like to try out for a role in the humorous Purim-shpil at the synagogue. But first he'll have to read the Biblical Book of Esther. At the tryout Tinocchia wins the role of Esther. Then Pinocchio comes in, answering the director's questions in rhyme. He gets the part of the evil Haman. The play is a success. Before Passover, Yossi gets a letter from the local priest, who writes that he has received complaints about the anti-Christian tone of the Purim play. Yossi tells the priest that if he had read the Book of Esther, which is also in his Bible, he would realize that the story takes place hundreds of years before Christian times. Nevertheless, the priest tells Yossi to join him in a wordless public debate, in which Yossi succeeds. During the Passover Seder, there is an incident with a stranger whom Yossi had invited for the first two days of the holiday and another man who pretends to be Elijah. The narrative is filled with other adventures, among them one where Tinocchia is involved with Samael, the Dark Angel, who has come after her; and another where Pinocchio and Tinocchia are on a sailboat which gets overturned in a storm and their encounter with pirates. By now the relationship between Tinocchia and Pinocchio is secure. One day he visits her as a real boy and offers Tinocchia a magic salve that Gepetto applied on him. Tinocchia scolds him that he has no right to take that salve without permission. In any case, she does not want mortality; she wants to live. Pinocchio offers to turn back into a puppetto to be with her. And, like in a true fairy tale, they live happily after. But like in reality. Presumably. In the Afterword, I describe a dinner at the Venice Jewish Old Age Home, where I am asked to tell a story. I tell a bit about Tinocchia, whereupon the oldest resident, a ninety-nine-year-old woman, makes a surprising declaration, which brings the story of the manuscript full circle"--,Provided by publisher.