Sky Bounce

Sky Bounce, Deanna Miller, (self-published), 2003

In a different plane of existence, Hesper the Alula and Tristan the Boytaur are secret friends, even though their species are supposed to have nothing to do with each other. Late at night, they like to go flying, with Hesper and her wings supplying the wing power, and holding on to Tristan, a four-legged centaur. The leaders of Hesper's people find out, and, as a punishment, Send Hesper to the human plane. The barriers between the planes of existence are weakening, and the only way to fix it is to Send Alulas to the human plane. The downside is that those who are Sent lose their wings, and all memory of their previous lives.

A year later, Hesper is your average high school student. One day, she meets an interesting boy in a wheelchair who likes hang gliding. Tristan has found a way to travel between planes and keep his memory. He just had to give up some other part of his body, like use of his legs. Hesper is reluctant to accept that she may have had a previous life with wings, but accept she does. The two travel to another plane, called the Barren Plane, where supposedly nothing lives. They meet a race of light beings called Dyaphinees, who tell Hesper that the Sending of Alulas to the human plane, is not the solution, but the problem. Hesper also discovers, to her shock, that her friend Tristan is not exactly who he says he is.

This is a young adult novel that is not just for young adults. It's fresh, interesting, very easy to read, and well worth the reader's time.