Megan McCafferty
Encyclopedia
Megan Fitzmorris McCafferty (born 1973) is an American author known for The New York Times bestselling
Jessica Darling
series of young-adult novels published between 2001 and 2009. McCafferty gained international attention in 2006 when novelist Kaavya Viswanathan
was accused of plagiarizing
the first two Jessica Darling novels.
, and moved to Brooklyn
and Manhattan
before settling in Princeton, New Jersey
. She graduated from Central Regional High School
in Berkeley Township
, New Jersey
in 1991. McCafferty attended the University of Richmond
before transferring to Columbia University
to earn a bachelor's degree in English. After graduation, McCafferty worked in magazine publishing as an editor for Cosmopolitan
, YM
, and Fitness magazines. She began her writing career with writing short stories and articles for various teen magazines.
herself, the series chronicles her misadventures through high school, college, and beyond. McCafferty subsequently published Second Helpings on April 22, 2003. This was later followed by Charmed Thirds (April 11, 2006), Fourth Comings (August 7, 2007), and Perfect Fifths (April 14, 2009). Perfect Fifths, the fifth and final Jessica Darling novel, is the only book in the series told in third person from the alternating perspectives of Jessica Darling and her long-time love, Marcus Flutie. The third, fourth and fifth books all made the New York Times Best Seller List
.
McCafferty also published a Jessica Darling short story called "Fifteen Going On ..." in a May 25, 2004 anthology
called Sixteen: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday, which she also edited.)
student and novelist Kaavya Viswanathan
was accused of plagiarizing
the work of McCafferty and other writers in her novel How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life.
She has also contributed to several fiction and nonfiction anthologies. Her work has been translated into eleven languages including Bulgarian, Chinese and German and has been awarded numerous honors by such associations as the American Library Association
and the New York Public Library
. McCafferty at one time kept what she termed a "retro(blog)" on her website in which she posted actual journal entries and creative writing from her adolescence.
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
Jessica Darling
Jessica Darling
The Jessica Darling books are a The New York Times bestselling series of five young adult novels by Megan McCafferty, published between 2001 and 2009. Told from the diary-style perspective of character Jessica Darling, the series chronicles her misadventures through high school, college, and beyond...
series of young-adult novels published between 2001 and 2009. McCafferty gained international attention in 2006 when novelist Kaavya Viswanathan
Kaavya Viswanathan
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life is a young adult novel by Kaavya Viswanathan, an Indian-American woman who wrote it just after she graduated from high school. Its 2006 debut was highly publicized, but the book was withdrawn after allegations that portions had been plagiarized...
was accused of plagiarizing
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
the first two Jessica Darling novels.
Early life
McCafferty hails from Bayville, New JerseyBayville, New Jersey
Located at the Northernmost section of the Pine Barrens, and at exit '80' on the Garden State Parkway, Bayville is an unincorporated area within Berkeley Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08721. As of the United States...
, and moved to Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
and Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
before settling in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
. She graduated from Central Regional High School
Central Regional High School
Central Regional High School is a four-year public high school located in the Bayville section of Berkeley Township, Ocean County, New Jersey, United States operating as part of the Central Regional School District...
in Berkeley Township
Berkeley Township, New Jersey
Berkeley Township is a Township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population had increased to a record high of 41,255....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
in 1991. McCafferty attended the University of Richmond
University of Richmond
The University of Richmond is a selective, private, nonsectarian, liberal arts university located on the border of the city of Richmond and Henrico County, Virginia. The University of Richmond is a primarily undergraduate, residential university with approximately 4,000 undergraduate and graduate...
before transferring to Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
to earn a bachelor's degree in English. After graduation, McCafferty worked in magazine publishing as an editor for Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
, YM
YM (magazine)
YM was an American teen magazine that began in 1932. It was published for 72 years and was the second-oldest girls' magazine in the United States...
, and Fitness magazines. She began her writing career with writing short stories and articles for various teen magazines.
Jessica Darling series
McCafferty's first novel, Sloppy Firsts, was published on August 28, 2001. Told from the diary-style perspective of character Jessica DarlingJessica Darling
The Jessica Darling books are a The New York Times bestselling series of five young adult novels by Megan McCafferty, published between 2001 and 2009. Told from the diary-style perspective of character Jessica Darling, the series chronicles her misadventures through high school, college, and beyond...
herself, the series chronicles her misadventures through high school, college, and beyond. McCafferty subsequently published Second Helpings on April 22, 2003. This was later followed by Charmed Thirds (April 11, 2006), Fourth Comings (August 7, 2007), and Perfect Fifths (April 14, 2009). Perfect Fifths, the fifth and final Jessica Darling novel, is the only book in the series told in third person from the alternating perspectives of Jessica Darling and her long-time love, Marcus Flutie. The third, fourth and fifth books all made the New York Times Best Seller List
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
.
McCafferty also published a Jessica Darling short story called "Fifteen Going On ..." in a May 25, 2004 anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
called Sixteen: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday, which she also edited.)
Controversy
In 2006, HarvardHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
student and novelist Kaavya Viswanathan
Kaavya Viswanathan
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life is a young adult novel by Kaavya Viswanathan, an Indian-American woman who wrote it just after she graduated from high school. Its 2006 debut was highly publicized, but the book was withdrawn after allegations that portions had been plagiarized...
was accused of plagiarizing
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
the work of McCafferty and other writers in her novel How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life.
Other works
McCafferty published Bumped, a dystopian young-adult novel, on April 26, 2011.She has also contributed to several fiction and nonfiction anthologies. Her work has been translated into eleven languages including Bulgarian, Chinese and German and has been awarded numerous honors by such associations as the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
and the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
. McCafferty at one time kept what she termed a "retro(blog)" on her website in which she posted actual journal entries and creative writing from her adolescence.
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