The concept of reading literacy as assessed in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2006) does not only comprise the processes of reading comprehension and the purposes for reading but also includes the students’ reading behaviors and attitudes (Mullis, Kennedy, Martin, & Sainsbury, 2006). This pays attention to the fact that in order for students to become effective readers, they must possess not only the skill but also the will to read (Paris & Oka, 1986; Watkins & Young Coffey, 2004). Reading self-concept and reading motivation are especially relevant for reading research, as these constructs are, on the one hand, substantially correlated with reading achievement scores and, on the other, easier to enhance by pedagogical intervention programs than, for example, the students’ basic cognitive abilities or word decoding abilities (Möller & Schiefele, 2004; Schaffner & Schiefele, 2007). According to the theoretical order of factors in models of motivational predictors of reading ability, it can be assumed that students’ reading self-concept and reading motivation influence their reading behavior (in terms of the amount and the frequency of reading), which in turn influences their reading ability (Guthrie, Wigfield, Metsala, & Cox 1999; Möller & Schiefele 2004). The importance of the motivational aspects of reading literacy is further emphasized by results from PISA 2000: Kirsch et al. (2002) show that students from families with low socio-economic status, who are motivated to read and voluntarily do so in their free time, achieve better reading scores than students from families with high socio-economic status who are less motivated and less active readers. The analyses to be presented in this contribution are based on results from a number of countries from the EU and OECD participating in PIRLS 2006. The results of our analyses give further evidence for the correlation of reading behaviors and attitudes with reading achievement as assumed above. In addition it can be shown that a high level of reading related self-concept, motivation and behavior can compensate for disadvantages in reading competence of students from families with low socio-economic status. This effect is visible especially with regard to the students’ reading self-concept.