A book that grips the imagination

Another here who would suggest the Harry Potter series. Our eldest stormed through them when home from uni one holiday - couldn’t put them down. She’d been a bit dismissive of them, picked one up and read into the wee small hours saying next morning “they’re like crack cocaine!”.

My son at that age was the same, unlike his sister, but he absolutely loved all the Harry Potter books and for the first time had his nose in a book constantly!

The language used in classic books is not suitable for someone who never reads as it is pre 21st century and quite complex. I would start with magazines. Does he read those? He maybe would prefer non fiction. Look for autobiographies of people he admires in the sports he likes.
What do his parents do to challenge this? You really need their support too. Encourage him to read newspaper articles online. Discuss the topic and get him to look for bias. Reading for pleasure has to be something he wants to do.

English lit is taught at GCSE and A level.
Harry Potter was devoured by my reluctant reader as was A monster calls (although it is very sad).

Does this mean that schools no longer teach English literature?

Well, my GD is doing A level English Lit, so her grammar school certainly does.

How about the books by Robert Louis Stevenson.....Treasure Island, etc?
Does this mean that schools no longer teach English literature? How sad, they are missing so much. Reading is much healthier than watching tv.