Amanda Benson

Amanda Benson is the protagonist of the first Goosebumps book, Welcome to Dead House, and its television adaptation.

History
Amanda Benson and her family moved to a creepy old town called Dark Falls, much to her and her younger brother Josh's dismay. At the beginning of Welcome to Dead House she had already begun to feel uneasy about the small town, and of course her new house. As she explored the house, she becomes startled as she notices Mr. Dawes, the Dark Falls realtor, "resting" in a dark corner of her new bedroom. As soon as the family dog, Petey, sees Mr. Dawes, he begins to bark uncontrollably.

Physical appearance
Amanda is twelve years old, Caucasian, tall, and thin with curly brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a serious face.

Personality
Amanda is very mature, patient and sensible for her age. She usually tries to get her younger brother Josh to cooperate when he is being his stubborn self. She is often reminding Josh that together they have to give the house and neighborhood a chance, though she is hesitant herself. There have been moments when Amanda was stubborn herself, but not as stubborn as her younger brother Josh and she would always pay her younger brother back if he played any tricks on her.

She can be funny as well and can have a laugh with her family, and there are plenty of moments where she gets along with Josh. Amanda also loves Petey, and she can always tell him to shape up if he is being uptight. She tries to be as strong as possible, and doesn't want to make a scene if nobody listens to her. Amanda has a good relationship with her friend Kathy (book)/Jennifer (TV adaptation) and she always tries to help her out by slipping her the answers in math, even it is the wrong answers. She gets excited when she find something she's interested in and is always willing to try it out. Overall she is very kind and thoughtful, and loves her family no matter what.

Trivia

 * In the book, Amanda had curly brown hair, but in the television series, her hair was straight and styled as a bob.