Shari,
To make boring (necessary) text interesting, I find the use of technology seems to inspire a sudden burst of interest.
Try this link for kidspiration software:
http://www.inspiration.com/KidspirationIf your child likes to create schematic maps on the computer, this tool is fun. It also has many reading comprehension type of maps to use with any type of reading.
Furthermore, you'll be hitting two skills with one stone
While reading boring text, he'll be fine tuning his tech skills. Oh oh, I didn't mean for this to sound like an ad. I've used this many times and it is for kid friendly than cmap tools.
