Replies

A sample of John Milton:

The Parliament of England, assisted by a great number of the people who appeared and stuck to them faithfullest in defence of religion and their civil liberties, judging kingship by long experience a government unnecessary, burdensome, and dangerous, justly and magnanimously abolished it, turning regal bondage into a free commonwealth, to the admiration and terror of our emulous neighbours. They took themselves not bound by the light of nature or religion to any former covenant, from which the king himself, by many forfeitures of a latter date or discovery, and our longer consideration thereon, had more and more unbound us, both to himself and his posterity, as hath been ever the justice and the prudence of all wise nations, that have ejected tyranny.

Site 1:

Flesch-Kincaid Grade level 30.
Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease score -13.

Site 2:

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 28.30
Gunning-Fog Score 32.10
Coleman-Liau Index 14.00
SMOG Index 19.90
Automated Readability Index 33.20
Average Grade Level 25.50

A sample from JK Rowling:

Then, just when things were looking very serious for Frank, the report on the Riddles' bodies came back and changed everything.
The police had never read an odder report. A team of doctors had examined the bodies and had concluded that none of the Riddles had been poisoned, stabbed, shot, strangled, suffocated, or (as far as they could tell) harmed at all. In fact (the report continued, in a tone of unmistakable bewilderment), the Riddles all appeared to be in perfect health - apart from the fact that they were all dead. The doctors did note (as though determined to find something wrong with the bodies) that each of the Riddles had a look of terror upon his or her face - but as the frustrated police said, whoever heard of three people being frightened to death?
As there was no proof that the Riddles had been murdered at all, the police were forced to let Frank go. The Riddles were buried in the Little Hangleton churchyard, and their graves remained objects of curiosity for a while. To everyone's surprise, and amid a cloud of suspicion, Frank Bryce returned to his cottage on the grounds of the Riddle House.

Site 1:

Flesch-Kincaid Grade level 13
Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease score 47

Site 2:

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 10.30
Gunning-Fog Score 12.70
Coleman-Liau Index 10.90
SMOG Index 8.00
Automated Readability Index 12.20
Average Grade Level 10.82

Well, judging by the automated scorings you are right. Milton is HARD. But Rawlings comes out at almost college level. Not bad for a book read by fourth graders!

Site 1: http://www.standards-schmandards.com/exhibits/rix/
Site 2: http://www.addedbytes.com/code/readability-score/