Books for a very reluctant 13 year old?

Nonfiction:
Horrible Science/History/Geography
Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze?
Why is Snot Green?
Kay's Marvellous Medicine
What If?
Fiction:
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life-James Patterson
Holes-Louis Sachar
The Enemy-Charlie Higson (gory)
Gone-Michael Grant (gory)

My son was similar at that age.

I think the only novels he ever read himself were the Skullduggery Pleasance books and then he got very into Manga and lite novels (which he reads in Japanese!).

Maybe a bit young but he also liked Murderous Maths and then things like Alex's Adventures in Numberland /some popular science books.

I agree about Roald Dahl (preferably unedited by the woke secret police!). Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is another good recommendation. You often hear middle-aged scientists or philosophy professors say it was the book that first sparked their interest in the subject.

Adrian Mole? The Hobbit? Tintin? Personally, I loved Asterix at that age. How about M. R. James' short stories?

As he likes DK eyewitness, how about the pocket versions? There are loads and they are a portable size.

Graphic novels are OK on the more tabletty kindles but TBH I'd get him to choose a magazine in the newsagents in the train station and let him read that. Or, as a PP said, sign up to the ebooks at the local library and let him choose what he wants. Or buy him some headphones he finds comfortable (one of my DDs has earpods, the other has great big headphones, they like what they like) and tell him if he wants to listen to a book or podcast or music on a train he needs to use earphones.

Illustrations don't work very well at all on my kindle paperwhite. I should think a graphic novel would be a total non-starter.
Katherine Rundell is worth a look.

Public libraries have lots of graphic novel ebooks which can be read on a phone or tablet, and you can also borrow magazines on a range of subjects.

You could try downloading the Libby app to have a look.

If he doesn't take to it, it's free to try.

I read a newspaper every morning as a child. The reader's letters and dating ads towards the back were totally captivating 😁

When my db was at school over 50 years ago he struggled a bit and was very reluctant to read. The teacher who was ahead of her time told my mum to let him read whatever he wants. My mum would buy him comics to read which he enjoyed and before long he was a fluent reader. In his fifties now he always has a novel on the go. It doesn't matter what your son reads Op as long as he enjoys it. You can't force someone to read and enjoy novels if that's not their thing.

I've always loved fact vs fiction and still do!

I suggest subscribing to some of the science/nature magazines on the phone or physical ones.

I prefer information not entertainment (though it feels like both for me) from the media I consume, so it's magazines, Documentaries, Biographies and Google for my reading list. Hobbies, friends and parties are for the entertainment.

Choose your own adventure by Ian Livingstone

And don't start him off on Dickens! Good Grief!
Non fiction is still reading

And then what about those books where you choose what page to go to - can't remember what they're called - the ones where you see a cave do you go into it turn to page 6 or you don't page 8

With my DS (reluctant reader) I started off with not books - Top Trump cards / magazines (cost me a fortune!!) and non fiction
Anything is better than nothing!

(Former school librarian!) Any TV or film he likes?

In short start off with anything but books!

@PipersDream he might like the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. Teenage spy who has various gadgets (some a bit dated now like a transforming CD player) but they are fun.
In one of the books the character Alex actually goes into space.
"Stormbreaker" is the first in the series.

Try David Eddings, I leant one to my non reading housemate a few years ago and her read all of them. Then he reread them.

Project Guttenberg has free books you can read in multiple formats https://www.gutenberg.org/

What is he interested in?

Collections of short stories might appeal rather than a book, you can often get them free.

Has he read Harry Potter?

What about Dickens? You can get a collection for 99p.

How about a magazine?
There's ones aimed at his age like How It Works, Science and Nature etc or ones aimed at adults but perfectly fine to read like History Today.

I'm wondering if maybe a physical book might be better. Presumably he does other things online, so this would make books distinct. It's odd that he pores over reference books, but maybe that's a hint that you could figure out what he finds interesting and buy him non-fiction books about that. Maybe biographies? Just make them short books.

Actually, if he'll be stuck on long train journeys, try confiscating the phone and just have a small pile of books there.

Fiction - try the Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy? Dated, but still funny.

Non-fiction - Randall Munroe's What If? series has been very popular with my DS.

@PipersDream I was thinking more of non- fiction rather than fact book type books. Would he go for that?
What type of reference books does he like? Is he into cars, Star Wars, sports, random facts, Pokémon, animal facts.....there will probably be some non fiction books out there connected to what he likes.

Yes to audio books.

I work in a college library where 95 per cent of the students come to us as 16 are reluctant readers. We have a stock of Barrington Stoke books. They do a range of fiction which is short and dyslexia friendly font/paper etc.

Manga or graphic novels are also sometimes a hit.

Hope he finds something he likes. Just keep offering with low pressure.

Does he like board games? That might be something for the train. Mini/magnetic versions of checkers. Or card games like Uno.

@PipersDream can't you down load non fiction on a kindle?