I just ordered this one from amazon this morning. I have had it in my cart for about 2 weeks. The regular price was $129.99 but I logged in this morning and found it had dropped to $59.99. It has good user reviews.
"Celestron 21061 AstroMaster 70 AZ Refractor Telescope"
I was just looking for a "first" telescope for my boys for Christmas and this one fit the bill to a "T"! Good luck!
Make sure you check reviews, most of the toy store telescopes or those geared towards kids are total junk! Do your reseach and also look to a local collage's astronmy club. They are great resources for where and what to buy.
We have the Vivitar one. Was taken out of the box....used once, then never used again. I think if you are going to get one, unfortunately, it needs to be good or the lose interest because they get frustrated that they can't see much. That said...if anyone wants it...I'd be happy to gain back my closet space!
I wasn't sure she would like it since it doesn't look like a traditional telescope, but she loves it. It works really well, plus it can take some abuse. There are no moving parts that need to be realigned. It was what the kids astronomy club professor at our local college recommended.