Story: Plagiarism Scandal Exposes World of Book Packaging, 05/03/06
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june06/author_5-03.html

Reading Comprehension Questions:

1. What is "How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life" and why is it in the news right now?

2. How has the author of "Opal" responded to the controversy?

3. What are book packagers? What do they do?

4. Why do publishing companies use book packaging companies?

5. Who is responsible for ensuring that a novel was written by the author?

Discussion Activity (more research might be needed):

1. Kaavya Viswanathan admits to the similarities between her book and those of Megan McCafferty but she says that it was unintentional. Do you believe her? Do her intentions matter? Why or why not?

2. Do you think book packaging is a good idea? Why or why not? What are the pros and cons of this part of the publishing industry?

3. Associated Press articles report that Kaavya Viswanathan's book contains passages that are similar to a additional books, "Can You Keep a Secret" by Sophie Kinsella and "The Princess Diaries" by Meg Cabot. Look at the examples below. What do you think? Are the passages too similar? Are these good examples of plagiarism? Why or why not?

• "Can You Keep a Secret" - the main character, Emma, approaches two friends who are "in a full-scale argument about animal rights," one friend says, "The mink like being made into coats."
• How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life" - Opal runs into two girls who are having "a full-fledged debate over animal rights." One of them says, "The foxes want to be made into scarves."
  
  
• "The Princess Diaries" - "There isn't a single inch of me that hasn't been pinched, cut, filed, painted, sloughed, blown dry or moisturized…Because I don't look a thing like Mia Thermopolis. MIA Thermopolis never had fingernails. MIA Thermopolis never had blond highlights."
• How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life" - "Every inch of me had been cut, filed, steamed, exfoliated, polished, painted or moisturized. I didn't look a thing like Opal Mehta. Opal Mehta didn't own five pairs of shoes so expensive they could have been traded in for a small sailboat."
  
  
• "Can You Keep a Secret" - one character says to another, "And we'll tell everyone that you get your Donna Karan coat from a discount warehouse shop."
• " How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life" - Opal says to another girl, "I'll tell everyone that in eighth grade you used to wear a 'My Little Pony' sweatshirt to school every day."

Write a 500-800 word essay on any of these topics providing clear examples. Send your completed editorial to NewsHour Extra [extra@newshour.org]. Exceptional essays might be published on our Web site.