MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota writer Sinclair Lewis’ “It Can’t Happen Here” may be on everyone’s lips these days, but is now really the time to read a dystopian novel about civilization collapsing?

May we suggest something with a little kindness and grace, instead, for a respite from the onslaught of terrible news? The following list includes picture books, middle-grade titles and novels intended for adults. All provide doses of empathy and joy:

“All That She Carried,” Tiya Miles

A book about a mother’s love that reverberates through centuries, “Carried” is Miles’ attempt to trace the history of a cotton sack that was found at a flea market in 2007 and subsequently displayed in museums. Miles writes about realizing there are details we can never know but also about an enslaved woman named Rose, who gave her young daughter Ashley the sack more than 150 years ago, filling it with treasured items to help her make her way in the world.

“Four Letters of Love,” Niall Williams

Irish writer Williams sometimes puts his characters through the wringer but always leads with kindness. That’s especially true in this character-rich book, where a breathtaking ending unites two people in a way that feels every bit as miraculous as love.

“House of Light,” Mary Oliver

There’s plenty of comfort to be found in Oliver’s poems, including her most famous, “The Summer Day,” which is collected here. That’s the one that ends with, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

“The House on Mango Street,” Sandra Cisneros

It’s not all sweetness and light in the semi-autobiographical tale of Esperanza. In this coming-of-age novel, she weathers some tough times. But what she learns from those tough times is that she wants to return to Mango Street so she can help her community thrive.

“The List of Things That Will Not Change,” Rebecca Stead

Like many of us, the protagonist of Stead’s witty novel for middle-grade readers (but, also, everyone) is perplexed by huge changes in her world. Bea’s parents are divorcing and her dad has moved on to a new relationship. “Things” is filled with empathy for all of Stead’s characters, despite their conflicting needs, and that’s best represented in the titular list that Bea compiles, led by the fact that she’s fortunate to have two parents who adore her.

“The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency,” Alexander McCall Smith

That’s the title of the Scottish writer’s series of 25 novels and of the first book. There are variations in quality, but I’ve enjoyed all of the books about Precious Ramotswe, a Botswana woman whose agency — where she investigates domestic mysteries, not murders — is really devoted to convincing people to be nicer to each other.

“Orbital,” Samantha Harvey

The title and setting may have led some to dismiss the 2024 Booker Prize winner as being about space travel, but it isn’t. It’s about how being astronauts on a space station reveals our tiny blue planet and about how, forced to live in extremely close quarters, they create a supportive, respectful community.

“The Phantom Tollbooth,” Norton Juster

I will never stop recommending this astonishing book about a bored boy named Milo who goes on surprising adventures to otherworldly places, only to realize (like Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz”) that the warmth and tenderness of home are not boring at all. It’s also a book that insists we can use our imaginations to make things better.

“Saturday Morning at the ‘Shop,” Keenan Jones, illustrated by Ken Daley

“Wisdom,” “joy” and “love” are the three words painted in bright colors on the final pages of this picture book. Plymouth writer Jones’ debut depicts a neighborhood barber shop as more than a place to cut hair. It’s a place where culture thrives and community lives.

“Where Wolves Don’t Die,” Anton Treuer

There are shades of “To Kill a Mockingbird” (which could also be on this list) in the Bemidji State professor’s novel about an Ojibwe boy who is wrongly suspected of having committed a crime. While the adults in his life figure things out, he is sent from Minneapolis to Canada for an education in family, Native ways and compassion.

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