I'm guessing that the boy this knife will belong to is "one of us" in that he loves the great outdoors and will spend a good deal of his time there. A well taught 9 year old is man enough to carry any pocket knife his (or his fathers) pocket will run to. If the lad is aware of those things he must not do with a knife then a clip point should be no problem. This being the case I would opt for either a 55 or a 112. If you think that the clip point will prove too vulnerable to breakage then why not a 501 as suggested by others here.
Personally I would steer clear of the Bucklite, or indeed any knife with a plastic handle. This is not because I don't think these knives are as good a quality as any other Buck, simply that there is something intrinsically pleasing to the touch about a solidly constructed knife of brass, wood and steel. A good solid knife like this FEELS better in the hand, and has a sense of lasting quality about it that will more likely inspire the lad to take care of the knife than a plastic handled version of the same thing might do. In an age of plastic this and plastic that, you simply can't beat the feeling of wood and brass in your hand when you compare it to so many plastic items that just seem to made to break.
Assuming that the knife will be carried out in the woods etc and not to school and the like, why not avoid pocket problems by making sure he has a belt pouch for the knife? This will encourage him to reach in one place and one place only when he wants the knife instead of searching through his pockets to find where he put it. It also makes a convenient, yet secure way to carry the knife.
