Many of us here on the Board, me included, have been very happy with the basic Brother machines from WalMart. They are easy to come by, use standard low shank feet, take almost any thread, and WalMart will take them back if they go bad. I would save the receipt and the box. I would get a machine without the embroidery function to start with. There is so much basic stuff to learn. Especially for a 10 year old.