My daughter was a little older than yours when I bought her Savage. I went with the "standard" rifle, instead of the youth. The gunshop I deal with had one of each there, and I set them side by side on the counter. There was VERY little difference in length of pull, like around 1/2" (there was a couple of inches difference in barrel though, if I recall). I bought her the full size so I wouldn't have to hunt down a stock later on. She's a lefty, so I was ordering the rifle anyway, but used a couple of right handers in the store to figure out fit and length of pull. Even the full size rifle is still very light weight, she has no trouble carrying it. I don't know if the youth comes with sling swivels, but the full size one does.
Her's is a wood stock lefty, and the accutrigger on hers is great. The rifle has no issues or problems at all. With Fed American Eagle ammo, it is plenty accurate to make the squirrels wish they were in another county. It feeds well from the magazine ( I would order a spare mag, just in case - my daughter has come close to losing hers twice now). The round nose bullets feed better than the hollowpoints, every once in a while one will hang up on the chamber lip if you don't work the bolt smartly. I haven't tried longs or shorts in it.
I mounted an old 4x Leupold scope on hers in Talley rings.
