The study examines the reading attitudes and attainment of Hong Kong, Singapore and English primary-school students using data collected in the PIRLS 2001 international reading survey. A total of 13,486 students aged 9-10 years were assessed. Singaporean students were found to have more positive reading attitudes and confidence than Hong Kong and English students, but English students had superior overall reading ability. Significant gender differences were found, with girls across the three cultural groups consistently outscoring boys in terms of both reading attitudes and attainment.