The Compaq X1000/ZT3000 and Toshiba M35 series are excellent choices for the Pentium M processor not the Pentium 4M she asked about which is the standard notebook equivalent of the Pentium 4 desktop cpu.
Make sure you don't want to use the notebook unplugged much with the Pentium 4M but it will give you the best price and performance if you are not bothered by a heavier notebook, more heat, and less battery life.
Look in the Sunday papers -- all the big chains have Pentium 4M notebooks close to 1,000 dollars now.
If you order custom, HP/Compaq and Dell both have a lot of back to school specials (HPshopping for HP). HP has a $100 rebate on any custom order notebook (see mail in rebates link on main homepage of hpshopping) --either Compaq or HP.
Make sure you get a built in 54g wi-fi card as the older b standard does not cost much less but the 54g/b runs better and allows faster speeds also.