if you are looking at new, my brothers both had (and managed not to destroy them!) SanDisk, they loved them. They were both early teens at the time and said they were easy and one even went through the washer and dryer and still worked. Walmart has them for about $30.
My hubby recently got a i-pod shuffle "gently used" on craigs list and paid $20. It works perfectly, so it all depends on what route you want to take
Becky