I would actually rec Lord of the Rings if he's not a reluctant reader: I was seven and determined to prove a librarian who said I was too young wrong, and I had never read anything like it, I was captivated.
Put me firmly on the publication order side of the debate for Narnia. You want to know who Jadis becomes before you meet her, and seeing Narnia being created and another world dying right before Narnia dies has more impact.
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