I bought this machine for my daughter, who just turned eleven. Man, was I ever a hero on Christmas morning! "The best mom ever", I think she said. My mom, a life-long sewist and whiz with sewing machines, was skeptical at first, but after helping her get it set up and start sewing, Mom just couldn't stop talking about how nice it was. And it's quiet! This machine stitches forward and backward, with three different stitch lengths, and it zigzags. Yes, it's basic, but it does all most of us need to do. It's got a nice light on it, and you can take the front panel off to make it a "free-arm" configuration, for sewing on a sleeve or pants leg.
So my daughter spent Christmas afternoon practicing her straight seams by sewing without thread on a piece of lined paper. She'd gotten pretty good at following the lines by the end of the day. The day after Christmas, we cut some fabric, and with my help, she made a pair of pillowcases for her bed. And the machine didn't flinch at sewing through five layers of flannel. It did just fine.
As one reviewer mentioned, this comes in a box that broadcasts what's inside, so beware if this is supposed to be a surprise. (I don't think that warranted giving the machine a one-star review, however.)
The bottom line is that this is a real machine, not a toy, and it's a machine that a young person should be able to use for many years. She's not going to outgrow the functionality of this machine. And since Hello Kitty is a timeless character, I can see this machine going off to college with her in a few years. I already have a sewing machine, but I'm considering getting one of these for myself anyway, because frankly, I'm a little jealous.