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BOSTON, May 2, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- New allegations claim a Harvard sophomore, in the midst of a plagiarism scandal, copied passages from a second author.
Kaavya Viswanathan, whose book "How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life," was pulled from stores after she acknowledged plagiarizing portions of it, may have also copied from a second author, reports The New York Times.
The newspaper reported at least three portions in the book bear striking similarities to writing in "Can You Keep a Secret?" written by Sophie Kinsella. The newspaper said it was alerted to the similarities by a phone call from a reader.
The report said the two books are different but the phrasing and structure of some passages is nearly identical.
Sophie Kinsella is the pen name of Madeleine Wickham, the British author of the popular "Shopaholic" series, the report said.
Viswanathan said she would have no comment on the latest allegations, The Times said, adding Kinsella could not be reached and that her U.S. agent declined comment.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
