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A boy of six has won a book deal worth thousands.

Leo Hunter was awarded a 23-story contract with an American company after they read his first tale, Me and My Best Friend.

Leo started the book - about a little boy called Liam and his make-believe adventures with his dog Henry - when he was five.

It is now hitting bookshelves in America and is available online in the UK.

Leo, from Derby, said: "Writing makes me very, very happy. It's so interesting.

"I like writing about dogs, people, every single thing.

"I like Harry Potter but I like my books even more.

"I would like to be more famous than JK Rowling - even more famous than Cheryl Cole and Simon Cowell."

Leo's novelist mum Jamie, 29, gave her literary agency Leo's tale and they brought it to the attention of US publishers Strategic Book Publishing.