RE: .22 recomendations
And from what I've seen, that's precisely what he's been given.
And why so you think that it's so important that it's a single shot, or that it's not a semi-auto? I started shooting my dad's .22 when I was 6 (and I doubt that at 6 I was any bigger than she is at 10), and it was a semi-auto Mossberg that fed from a tube magazine in the stock (don't know the model). Dad would load it up, hand it to me and stand there while I shot the whole magazine out. I mentioned the Model 93 17HMR only to illustrate that Savage makes a fine rimfire, but apparently reading comprehension isn't your strong suit. The Mk II is a bolt action, magazine fed, .22LR repeater. Of course, nothing says that he can't load it one round at a time for her when she's first starting out, but if it's to be HER rifle, she will soon outgrow a very tiny single shot like a Cricket and want (need, really) a bigger, more capable, rifle. She's 10 years old, which means that unless she's very small for her age she's more than big enough to handle a carbine length rimfire. The MK II has a 21" bbl, is 39" long and only weights 5 lbs. We're not talking about a full sized deer rifle here.
Mike