The white Macbook is a cheaper, has a larger hard drive (250 vs 160), the same graphics, the same CPU, and (should be) the same screen.
However, it is easier to scratch/damage (but aluminum dents, so YMMV) and is missing the backlit KB, SD slot, firewire, and the "Pro" panache.
I, too, like the look of the Pro better - but money is money, and if I were buying, I'd probably get the white one. Besides, as mentioned above there's the Microcenter rebate, and if that isn't your thing, Best Buy is going to have it with a $150 gift card for free on Black Friday.
But then again.... you can get the MBP for $999 refurb'ed. *sigh* Decisions, decisions... either way, I think he'll be happy. Only issue I see is that some teen boys (and men, BTW) think that the white is a bit "sissy" looking. You might want to test the waters a bit on that before you buy...