I'd suggest "Of Mice and Men" and/or "the Pearl" by Steinbeck
Depending on the child's reading level, some of Tom Clancy's books--Red October, Patriot Games, Cardinal in the Kremlin, Debt of Honor, Executive Orders, etc. are all excellent reads. I strongly suggest you read them in order. They don't *have* to be, but certain little elements will make more sense if you do.
I saw The Outsiders and That Was Then, This Is Now mentioned, excellent suggestions. SE Hinton also had a couple of other excellent books, RumbleFish and Tex.
Some others..Lord of the Flies, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Great Gatsby (has some "adult" content).
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. might appeal to that age group, as might Ray Bradbury, George Orwell, Hemingway, and Saliger.
Of course the Harry Potter series.
For fun, how about the Guiness Book of World Records?
IMHO it just depends on the maturity level and reading ability of the child. But these are some good places to start.
Anne