Madonna reads from her fourth book to children from the St Winifred's school, London, during the launch of the book, "The Adventures of Abdi,"' in a London department store, Thursday Nov. 11, 2004. Madonna's other books are "The English Roses,"' "'Mr. Peabody's Apples" and "Yakov and the Seven Thieves." (Photo: Yahoo/AP)

Hundreds of Madonna fans lined up for 24 hours outside a central London bookstore where the pop singer signed copies of her new children's book Thursday. (Photo: CRIENGLISH.com/AP)

    BEIJING, Nov. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Hundreds of Madonna fans lined up for 24 hours outside a central London bookstore where the pop singer signed copies of her new children's book Thursday.

    But only the first 250 hopefuls were allowed into Selfridges on Oxford St. to watch Madonna read from "The Adventures of Abdi" before signing copies.

    Crowds who gathered on the shopping street for a glimpse of the singer were disappointed when she was smuggled into the store through an underground car park.

    Madonna later gave a 10-minute reading to a group of 30 schoolchildren, aged eight to 10, from St. Winifred's Catholic Junior School in south London.

    "The Adventures of Abdi," is the fourth book in a five-book children's series Madonna has penned for Callaway Editions. Callaway has already published "The English Roses," "Mr. Peabody's Apples" and "Yakov and the Seven Thieves."

    Madonna's fifth book, "Lotsa de Casha," is due for release next summer.

(CRIENGLISH.com)