Opal Mehta Gets Suspended

Kaavya Viswanathan better steer clear of Oprah. Allegations that Viswanathan plagiarized parts of How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life have led to a recall of her debut novel. Little, Brown has asked retailers to stop selling the book and return their unsold copies. No word yet on whether Viswanathan will have to give back any of the half million dollars she received as an advance on a 2-book deal.

Those who already bought the book are likely stuck with a thick and brightly colored coaster. Of course, we know that you read our review and saved your money for yummy strawberries or dog tags to help children in Uganda.

Viswanathan is accused of lifting as many as 40 passages from two novels by Megan McCafferty. The uncanny similarities between passages in Viswanathan’s and McCafferty’s works were first pointed out by a reporter for Harvard’s Crimson newspaper. Viswanathan admits that she has read McCafferty’s novels, but still claims that any copying was “unconscious and unintentional."

Rumors are also circulating about how much of a role Viswanathan really played in writing the book. Apparently her parents hired a book packaging company to help her out.

If, like us, you are less appalled at the fact that Viswanathan (allegedly) committed plagiarism than you are at how badly she did it, The Morning News challenges you to do better in its “Sloppy Seconds With Opal Mehta” contest.