Airsplat has all kinds of good stuff you can buy. I personally like the blowback pistols, but I think it nice rifle would be great for a 13 year old. Heres some sales I was looking at the other day, hope it helps!
http://www.airsplat.com/Sale-Items.htm.
Either a pistol or a rifle is fine, I would get one with high FPS around 400+ so it will shoot straighter also use heavier BB's and that will make it go straighter as well. Hope that helped.
I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.