I am going to throw in an oddball here. If she really wants a semi then the Bersa 380 is a great shooter and has mild recoil and about the right size for her... I am a huge revolver fan, but the think I like about my Semi autos is that I know my 5 YO cant rack the slide. They are just a little safter when kids are around than a Revolver in case they get thier hands on it.