Looking for books good for?

For a funny book about archaeology, you might try "Motel of the Mysteries," by David Macaulay. I loved it when I was younger, and just read it again. I think a 12-year-old would like it.

Your 12 yr old may like the following.But it may be a little too advanced for him.

Dragonjousters series(joust,alta,sanctuary) by Mercedes Lackey.The setting is ancient Egypt.Hunger, anger, and hatred are constants for young Vetch, rendered a brutally mistreated and overworked serf by the Tian conquest of his homeland. But everything improves when a Tian jouster requisitions Vetch to become the first serf ever to be a dragon boy. His training is intense, and his duty clear-cut: to tend his jouster, Ari, and his dragon, Kashet. He discovers that, because Ari himself had hatched Kashet, the dragon is different from others that have been captured live in the wild and must be drugged to be made tractable. Vetch finds he really likes and understands dragons, and soon he becomes the best dragon boy of all. He still harbors anger, however, toward the Tian invasion. Could he, perhaps, hatch a dragon, and then escape to help his people?

As for your 10 yr old, I recommend the following

Artemis Fowl book series by Eoin Colfer is about teen age criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl who even plots to steal the gold from the fairies.

Diana wynne jones writes some books based on a character called Chrestomanci.He is a nine-life enchanter.Read the books in the correct order.The best of the lot is magicians of caprona.

Egyptology, Wizardology, Dragonology are AWESOME books but...they may already have these.

The Book of Dragons & Other Mythical Beasts by Joseph Nigg is nice, lots of colorful illustrations.

Favorite Greek Myths by Mary Pope Osborne is a beautifully illustrated book. It's how I was introduced to Greek mythology, at age 11.

Gnomes by Wil Huygen and Rien Poortvliet is an absolutely wonderful book, great for all ages.

It depends on the genre. If I am exploring a genre I'm not familiar with, I will avoid the tacky covers. But if I'm familiar with the genre, the covers aren't considered tacky. I like science fiction. Many of the covers are ridiculously tacky if you're not familiar with the genre but within the genre, what's considered tacky might be the most attractive. Put a robot filing a woman's nails whose dress is made of fire straps on the surface of a purple moon and I'll read it. Same goes with horror and romance. Cheap, though, is subjective. Maybe it's better to say it's not professionally-designed. Yes, I do avoid those whether I should or not.

I have no book recommendations for the boy, but the girl might like:

Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer,

Inkheart, Inkspell and Dragonrider by Cornielia Funke

The Prophecy of the Stones by Flavia Bujor

Not sure about the boy, but the girl will love King Fortis the Brave! About a pair of twins pulled into a magical world where they find themselves caught up in a battle for control of the land. It's full of action and humor, and one of the twins, Aimee, is a strong young female character that she will be able to identify with.

Eloise Jarvis McGraw wrote a book called THE GOLDEN GOBLET years ago. It was a Newbery Medal winner, and so is still available. The main character is an Egyptian boy named Ranofer who lives with her brother Gebu who is a stonemason. Ranofer wanted to be a goldsmith like his father, and gets involved with tomb robbers. It's a good story, and hasn't dated. Your girl may like the Diana Duane "So You Want to be a Wizard" series, or "Candle Iron" by Sally Odgers.

Check out this book, "The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt" by Elizabeth Payne. It's a historical account written for younger folks of how archaeologists discovered that civilization

Usborne publishes a lot of great books on history, including ancient egypt and mythology. Check at Borders in the children's section.

Can't be of any assistance with the 10 year old, but your 12 year old might enjoy The Source by James Michener. It might be a touch "Heavy" for him, but probably not.