I've been giving some help to a friend's 16 yr old, who has a very good eye for composition and took to using shutter/aperture with no problem. He's been using a cheap and horrible compact, or one of my cameras.
He's off to Bosnia and later to Africa and wants to buy a camera. His specifications are: small enough to go into a pocket, good zoom, and using AA batteries as he is won't be able to recharge whilst camping in Africa. His budget is up to £150. Good image quality goes without saying, apparently!