The Secret of Clouds by Alyson Richman

This is a story of devotion and love between a teacher and her young student. Maggie leaves a job she hates and jumps head first into a job she was meant to do - teaching English to middle schoolers. Forging a love of reading and writing in these kids is her goal but what she learns is love, compassion and profound knowledge from the one boy who is set apart from the class. Maggie agrees to tutor Yuri who suffers from a serious heart ailment and can't attend school or even be outside of his house for long. His parents give him total love, support and devotion but what he really needs is a connection to kids his own age. The result is a total tearjerker in the style of Jodi Picoult. Maggie's world and that of her class are broadened by a boy whose world is defined but whose heart is very large. There is also a romance and Maggie gets her life priorities in order.