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Mackenzi Lee

Mackenzi Lee
Lee at the 2018 Texas Book Festival
Lee at the 2018 Texas Book Festival
BornMacKenzie Van Engelenhoven
NationalityAmerican
EducationSimmons College (MFA)
GenreHistorical fiction, non-fiction
Website
mackenzilee.com

Mackenzi Lee (born Mackenzie Van Engelenhoven)[1] is an American author of books for children and young adults. She writes both fiction and non-fiction about topics including sexuality and the role of women throughout history.[2]

Life and career

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Lee has a Master of Fine Arts from Simmons University in writing for children and young adults.[3]

Lee's first book, 2015's This Monstrous Thing, was a retelling of Frankenstein and earned Lee the Susan P. Bloom Children's Book Discovery Award. In the promotional period for this book, they began posting on Twitter under the hashtag #BygoneBadassBroads, sharing biographies of notable women beginning with Mary Shelley. This project grew in popularity, and in 2018, Lee published Bygone Badass Broads: 52 Forgotten Women Who Changed the World.[2][4]

Her second novel, entitled The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, was a New York Times Best Seller, won the New England Book Award and earned a Stonewall Book Award for its portrayal of bisexual young gentleman Henry "Monty" Montague in 18th-century Europe. This novel led to a series of books featuring the Montague siblings and a diverse set of characters whose struggles are presented in an era that didn't necessarily respect diversity. The second book in the series, The Lady’s Guide To Petticoats And Piracy, focused on Monty's sister Felicity Montague, a feminist and aspiring doctor.[5][6]

Lee contracted with Marvel to write three historical fiction books featuring Marvel antiheroes, beginning with a story about Loki under the title Loki: Where Mischief Lies.[7] In 2019, she also published The History of the World in 50 Dogs.[8]

Lee is openly bisexual.[9]

Bibliography

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  • This Monstrous Thing (2015)
  • Bygone Badass Broads: 52 Forgotten Women Who Changed the World (2018)
  • All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages (contributing writer) (2018)
  • The Radical Element: 12 Stories of Daredevils, Debutantes & Other Dauntless Girls (contributing writer) (2018)
  • The History of the World in Fifty Dogs (2019)

The Montague Siblings

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  • The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (2017)
  • The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (2018)
  • The Gentleman's Guide to Getting Lucky (2019)
  • The Nobleman's Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks (2021)

Marvel Comics

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  • Loki: Where Mischief Lies (2019)
  • Gamora & Nebula: Sisters in Arms (2021)
  • The Winter Soldier: Cold Front (2023)

References

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  1. ^ Jarrard, Sydney (2017-05-23). "A Q&A With Mackenzi Lee, Author of the #1 Summer Kids' Indie Next List Pick". American Booksellers Association. Archived from the original on 2017-11-28. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  2. ^ a b Grochowski, Sara (2017-06-13). "Q & A with Mackenzi Lee". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  3. ^ "About". Mackenzi Lee. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  4. ^ Jasper, Marykate (2018-03-08). "Bygone Badass Broads Author Mackenzi Lee Talks About Giving Women Back Their Personhood and Their Place in History". www.themarysue.com. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  5. ^ "Young adult book review: The Lady's Guide To Petticoats And Piracy by Mackenzi Lee". The Herald. 29 March 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
  6. ^ Grady, Constance (2018-10-08). "The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy is the nerdy queer girl YA fantasy we deserve". Vox. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  7. ^ Foley, Maddy (2017-12-07). "Your Favorite Marvel Villain Is Getting His Own YA Novel". Bustle. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
  8. ^ "Mackenzi Lee". Interlochen Center for the Arts. Retrieved 2025-08-18.
  9. ^ Lee, Mackenzi (16 November 2021). "Author Mackenzi Lee on Why Strangers Come Out to Her As Queer". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 9 March 2023.