You don't say for sure where she is at in learning about the sky, but the best first step is a good set of binoculars and maybe a book from Terence Dickinson.  If she's already proficient at that level then you can build on it.  I have a manual 6" Dobsonian, and it works fine- but it's definitely frustrating at times.  Don't have much doubt that I would use a scope more often if it was easier to lock onto a target and track it, especially if more than a couple of people want to look.