If you want to keep your children quiet and happy then "Bree McCready and the Half Heart Locket" by Hazel Allan would be a good book to give them. Twelve year old Bree and her two friends, Sandy and Honey, find themselves running for their lives when a message on a heart locket necklace leads them to an old, magical book that has unbelievable powers. The story is full of cliffhangers that make you want to read just that little bit more. My kids could not put it down and neither could I!
This is a brilliant read full of action but with real emotion running through too. I would recommend this for age 10+ as there are some scary bits.