The debut novel of a Harvard University student who acknowledged that she unintentionally copied passages from another author’s work has been pulled from the shelves in America and the UK.

Kaavya Viswanathan, a Harvard University sophomore, has admitted that several passages in How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life were borrowed from the works of another writer.

Her publisher, Little, Brown and Company, which had signed the 19-year-old to a reported six-figure deal, notified retail and wholesale outlets in both the US and the UK to immediately withdraw the books from sale following the plagiarism allegations.

Visnawanathan has apologised repeatedly for lifting material from Megan McCafferty, whose books include Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings, saying she had read McCafferty’s books voraciously in high school and unintentionally copied them.

McCafferty’s publisher, the Crown Publishing Group, said it was "literary identity theft" and had urged Little, Brown, which initially said her novel would remain on sale, to pull the book.

In a statement issued soon after Little, Brown’s announcement, Crown said that it was pleased that the matter has been resolved in an "appropriate and timely fashion."

It also praised McCafferty for her "grace under pressure throughout this ordeal." The author said that she was "not seeking restitution in any form."

"The past few weeks have been very difficult, and I am most grateful to my readers for offering continual support," McCafferty said in a statement.

"In my career, I am, first and foremost, a writer. So I look forward to getting back to work and moving on, and hope Ms Viswanathan can too."

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life came out in March with a first printing of 100,000. DreamWorks has already acquired film rights. Earlier in this week it had reached No 32 in the American bestseller lists.

Similarities to McCafferty’s books were first spotted by readers. They alerted McCafferty, who in turn notified her publisher.

Viswanathan has said that she read McCafferty’s books three or four times while in high school had not been aware of how much she might have "internalised" them.

"When I sat down to write my novel, my only intention was to tell the story of Opal," she said in a statement earlier this week. "I was so surprised and horrified when I found these similarities."

Viswanathan’s novel tells the story of Opal, a teenager from New Jersey who earns straight A’s in high school but who gets rejected from Harvard because she forgot to have a social life. Opal’s father concocts a plan code-named HOWGAL (How Opal Will Get A Life) to get her past the admissions office.

McCafferty’s books follow a heroine named Jessica, a New Jersey girl who excels in high school but struggles with her identity and longs for a boyfriend.

Crown alleged that at least 40 passages in Viswanathan’s novel contained "identical language and/or common scene or dialogue structure" to McCafferty’s work.

Little, Brown has said the book will be revised as quickly as possible. However, it but made no reference to a new edition and did not say how many passages of the book would need to be changed.

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