Reading literacy is the main focus of the international comparative study of PISA 2009 (OECD, PISA 2009 results: What students know and can do: Student performance in reading, mathematics and science, 2010a) based on the results of which 65 economies were arranged in a league table. PISA also gathers background information which implicitly helps understand the achievement or the lack of it. The present study analyzes data of selected variables for four East Asian economies (Shanghai, Hong Kong, Korea, and Singapore) which appear at the top of the league table, paying special attention to the ESCS (Economic, Social, and Cultural Status) disadvantaged students who are resilient in spite of being in an unfavorable condition. Logistic regression was run on the data to identify the predictive variables. Family structure, expected education, kindergarten attendance, and three reading engagement measures were found to differentiate between the ESCS disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students. To help raise the reading literacy standard of the disadvantaged non-resilient students relative to the resilient students, attention needs be paid especially to enjoyment of reading activities and awareness of metacognitive reading strategies, which are alterable variables at the disposal of the stakeholders.