Does he go for science fiction? I liked Starswarm by Jerry Pournelle as an adult, but think it’s intended as YA. The main character is about your kid’s age, an orphan in a extrasolar colony. Thanks to some things his parents did for him before they were killed, he knows some things the adults in charge of the colony don’t. Including that the native life on the planet is more intelligent than assumed, and advanced enough to defend itself from human encroachment.