RE: Novice seeking advice
I have a Balsa USA Phaeton that is an absolute joy to fly. But it's only available as a kit (Phaeton II now). If you want to build, I can definitely recommend it as a first biplane. The Sig Hog biplane is another common choice for a first two winger, although I haven't flown one personally. I'll agree with skylark-flier though that no biplane is for beginners. Even the easy ones like the Phaeton bleed off speed faster in the glide so you have to be on you toes to recognize the stall, and the orientation is just plain weird when you get a little farther out. Get the stick and have a ball with it until the covering is torn and patched in at least half a dozen places and the engine is stained all brown. Everytime I see a beat up Ugly Stick, I also see a skilled pilot.
On a practical note, the Stick's versatility makes it useful long after you are past the beginner stage. It will still fly well in wind that you wouldn't dream of bringing most scale planes out in, the light wing loading makes it good for flying with floats, I mentioned above it can do mild 3D, it can easily carry a small camera if you want to do some video or photography at the field, and it is a perfectly viable plane if you got interested in aerobatics competition to enter an SPA match in novice or sportsman class.